Itou Kaiji, trembling but with eyes glittering with a desire for money, steeled himself and followed Hiiragi Inori and the others inside.
After they had all entered the old school building, Miyauchi Hikage began to prepare for the coming dusk.
With no one else around, Fujimiya Konomi moved a little closer to him.
"You let that Ito person get involved in this kind of thing. Aren't you worried something might happen to him?" Fujimiya Konomi asked Miyauchi Hikage tentatively.
In response, Miyauchi Hikage just shook his head nonchalantly.
After he got the Card Master template, he had read the fates of the people around him that very day.
Although, due to their interaction with him, a considerable portion of their fates had become unknown, he could still see matters of life and death quite clearly.
That guy, Itou Kaiji, still had the fate of surviving against all odds.
He was just incapable of living a normal life.
If Miyauchi Hikage hadn't met him, or had simply changed his future of being forced onto a ship to gamble with his life due to high-interest loans.
Then he would either remain poor and destitute, but with enough to get by, or he would successfully turn his life around after being pushed to the brink and become rich overnight.
However, even if he became rich overnight, he would easily be knocked back to his original state overnight due to an inflated ego, and his life might even become worse than before.
And he would never be able to shake off the thrill of gambling with his life.
But now Miyauchi Hikage had pulled him into his crew, making it impossible for him to live a normal life, and his fate of surviving against all odds could play a greater role.
He was a bit like Mr. Satan from Dragon Ball or King from One-Punch Man. Although their real strength was insignificant on the battlefield, and even the aftershock of a battle could potentially make them GG on the spot, they could successfully survive until the end through sheer luck and making the right choices at critical moments.
Of course, Itou Kaiji's fate was not that good. He had to be in a desperate situation first to trigger this passive ability, and he would have to suffer a bit in the process.
Miyauchi Hikage thought, and then said to Fujimiya Konomi, "Although Kaiji looks like a good-for-nothing delinquent on the outside, at critical moments, the perseverance and determination this guy shows are quite powerful."
"It's just that he's been living a bit too comfortably recently. In order to tap into his potential, I'm planning to put a little pressure on him."
Fujimiya Konomi knew that Miyauchi Hikage had always been a good judge of character. When Koshigaya Suguru was five or six years old, he had taken him to do all sorts of handicrafts, allowing him to become a master craftsman with MAX practical skills in just a few years through self-study.
Similarly, Miyauchi Hikage had also seen at a glance that Kagayama Kaede, who always said she disliked children, was actually extremely fond of Renge, almost treating her like her own daughter.
But she carefully recalled the appearance and personality of that Itou Kaiji, and still found it hard to believe that such a character, whom Miyauchi Hikage had brought in to be the comic relief in his videos, could also have a side that showed perseverance and determination.
However, out of trust for Miyauchi Hikage, she did not express any doubt.
"So what is Hiiragi Inori-san's identity, and what is the situation inside this old school building?" she continued to ask about the matter she was more concerned about.
"Hiiragi Inori-san is indeed a shrine maiden from that shrine, and we even went to worship there a few years ago. It's that pair of purple-haired shrine maiden sisters. Hiiragi Inori-san is their older sister," Miyauchi Hikage reminded Fujimiya Konomi.
"As for the old school building," as he said this, he handed his modified Camera Obscura to Fujimiya Konomi.
"This camera is the instrument that helped me capture that ghost shadow."
In response, Fujimiya Konomi was a little puzzled.
This camera seemed to be the one Miyauchi Hikage himself had been using for a year or two.
"It was originally very normal, but ever since I went to Tokyo and had its lens changed, it has occasionally been able to see some special things."
Miyauchi Hikage gestured for Fujimiya Konomi to take a picture of the old school building.
Although Fujimiya Konomi was a little nervous, she still took a picture as he had instructed.
Carefully looking at the image displayed on the camera, Fujimiya Konomi's eyes couldn't help but widen slightly.
In the photo, some abnormal fluctuations seemed to have appeared around the old school building.
Although she didn't know what these fluctuations were, just looking at the distortions in the photo made her feel a little tense.
"So, it was after you discovered this change that you decided to film those videos... Did you deliberately put those images in the videos to attract the attention of 'those people'?"
"I did have that thought. After all, you also know about the things I found in my family's warehouse back then," Miyauchi Hikage looked at Fujimiya Konomi. "Not just my family, your family also has some corresponding records, right?"
Her family's side didn't mention anything about the Demon Slayer Corps. It was probably only the Miyauchi family that had a deeper connection with them, but the Fujimiya family did indeed record that some people in the village had died tragically back then, and in the end, the murderer was dealt with by a wandering samurai.
Seeing Fujimiya Konomi nod, Miyauchi Hikage continued, "So, this world seems to be hiding many secrets, and because of these videos, it seems I've already been reserved by some faction over there."
It's not just this world that's hiding many secrets; you're hiding many things too.
This was the thought that arose in Fujimiya Konomi's mind.
She also remembered.
When Miyauchi Hikage took them on trips all over Saitama Prefecture and beyond, they had indeed gone to many strange places and had them do many strange actions.
That Takamiya Shrine was among them.
At that time, when Miyauchi Hikage saw the two purple-haired shrine maidens, he had been particularly proactive in approaching them, and they had even taken several group photos together in front of the shrine.
This was something Miyauchi Hikage rarely did when he visited other shrines.
Previously, Fujimiya Konomi had thought that Miyauchi Hikage might have just found the two middle-school-aged shrine maidens particularly interesting.
But now, it seemed that Miyauchi Hikage had already noticed something back then.
Thinking of this, she just gently held Miyauchi Hikage's hand.
"How confident are you?"
She was referring to whether Miyauchi Hikage could ensure his own safety after coming into contact with that world.
Miyauchi Hikage revealed a smile. Feeling Fujimiya Konomi's slight nervousness, he sent a trace of Hamon into her body to let her relax a little. "So-so, I guess."
"So-so" from Miyauchi Hikage's mouth probably meant "quite certain."
It seemed that many changes had really happened to him this past month.
So much so that he could still show such an attitude when facing a world completely unknown to ordinary people.
Fujimiya Konomi actually wanted to ask many more things.
After all, she was also full of curiosity and worry about that unknown world.
But feeling a wave of warmth from his palm, Fujimiya Konomi also felt much more at ease.
Since Miyauchi Hikage hadn't fully explained everything to her, she wouldn't press any further.
However, such quiet moments never last long.
As the sky began to turn yellow, and dusk was about to arrive.
Fujimiya Konomi took the initiative to let go of his hand, indicating that it was time to start work.
Miyauchi Hikage also turned his head to look at the school gate.
That illusory figure also seemed to gradually emerge with the arrival of dusk.
Of course, it was not yet the witching hour. This semi-transparent figure could only be seen by him. Fujimiya Konomi, who was beside him, could not see it.
However, Miyauchi Hikage could let Fujimiya Konomi use the Camera Obscura in her hands to capture the "abnormal fluctuations" around them, giving her a slight sense of participation.
With Miyauchi Hikage's proactive reminder, Fujimiya Konomi also tried to take a picture of the school gate with the camera.
"There seem to be some not-so-obvious distortions here too," after discovering the problem with the photo, Fujimiya Konomi quickly told Miyauchi Hikage her finding.
"Should I call Hiiragi Inori-san out?" Although the trace of Hamon power made her body feel much warmer, when encountering such a situation, Fujimiya Konomi's first instinct was still to find a professional to handle it.
"That Yuuko-san has existed for half a century. In all this time, she has never taken the initiative to harm anyone. Even if she is a real ghost, there is nothing to be afraid of."
"To have the chance to learn the true thoughts of a deceased spirit is a rare opportunity."
Miyauchi Hikage said this, and then waved at Fujimiya Konomi, telling her to stand where she was and take pictures. He then walked towards Yuuko's position.
However, as Miyauchi Hikage approached, the gradually materializing Yuuko seemed to have sensed something.
After casting a curious glance at him, she also took the initiative to move towards his position.
"Can you see me?"
When they were only one or two meters apart, Yuuko took the initiative to ask Miyauchi Hikage.
Perhaps it was because there wasn't much of a connection between them yet. In Miyauchi Hikage's eyes, Yuuko's figure was still a bit hazy, and her voice sounded a little distorted.
But upon closer inspection, she really did look exactly like an older Kanoe Kirie, except for the hairstyle and the noticeable difference in chest size.
Just as Miyauchi Hikage was sizing her up and wondering whether to respond.
Behind him, Fujimiya Konomi's heart couldn't help but tense up.
As Miyauchi Hikage approached, a woman's figure gradually appeared on the camera's screen.
In terms of clothing, it was indeed the same school uniform she had seen the evening before yesterday, and also the same black long hair.
But in other aspects, there were quite a few differences.
For example, the girl who now appeared on the camera screen had eyes that were completely black, with nothing visible, and the corners of her mouth were turned up, forming an angle that looked somewhat creepy.
No matter how you looked at it, she looked exactly like a standard female ghost from those horror stories.
Fujimiya Konomi quickly shouted a warning to Miyauchi Hikage, and at the same time, walked towards his position with the picture she had just taken on the camera.
This action surprised Kanoe Yuuko. Did that girl use the camera in her hand to take a picture of her current appearance?
But her current appearance shouldn't be that scary, right?
She floated to the side, wanting to know what kind of picture the other had taken of her.
"A clear figure only appeared for a few seconds, but I happened to capture it. Take a look at this photo."
As Fujimiya Konomi handed over the camera, Miyauchi Hikage and the Kanoe Yuuko behind him both leaned in to look.
What was captured in the photo was indeed different from what he saw with his own eyes.
Looking at the photo of Yuuko, who looked like the shadow Yuuko and was exuding an ominous aura, Miyauchi Hikage glanced at the equally puzzled Yuuko behind him.
It seems the shadow Yuuko has indeed started to affect Yuuko's main body, right?
And just as Yuuko saw this photo, the sun finally began to set.
The connection between the two of them and the ghost, at the moment her figure was completely revealed, was noticed by Fujimiya Konomi, who realized there seemed to be a new figure behind her.
This scare almost made her drop the Camera Obscura in her hands.
Miyauchi Hikage and Yuuko, one human and one ghost, simultaneously reached out instinctively to catch the camera.
After Miyauchi Hikage caught his camera first, in the next moment, Yuuko's hand also touched the Camera Obscura.
Then she seemed to have received an electric shock and let out a "hiss," quickly pulling her hand back.
"So hot, so hot! Why is your camera so hot?!"
At this moment, Miyauchi Hikage felt that her pained cry had become much closer to reality.
He turned around and blocked Fujimiya Konomi behind him, and the latter, having come to her senses, also tightly gripped his arm.
"Kanoe Yuuko?"
With Miyauchi Hikage's question.
Kanoe Yuuko was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "You know my name?"
"I came here just for you."
Miyauchi Hikage answered, and then carefully looked at the Kanoe Yuuko before him again, before quickly explaining his purpose for being here.
"Turn my story into a video and post it on the internet?" Hearing his words, Kanoe Yuuko seemed to have become interested.
Although she had existed in this school for a long time and had personally witnessed the progress and changes of the times.
But except for a few times, her entire ghostly existence had been in a muddled state. She only knew a little about the internet.
"I don't mind these things, but why is your camera so hot? And the photo you took made me look so ugly. That's not me at all!"