The half-moon cast a gentle silver glow. At the end of a winding forest path, beneath the last streetlight, a group of disparate figures gathered.
After meeting, they exchanged the usual greetings. Those meeting for the first time were introduced by friends and quickly fell into conversation.
"So, Yotsuya-san isn't a student at Shuchiin Academy? How did you two meet?"
"It was Chika-nee... Fujiwara-senpai who forced me..."
"It must have been the guidance of fate!"
Chika placed her hands on her hips and laughed heartily. "We, too, went through this and that, enduring countless hardships to finally come together—"
"Get to the point!"
"...There were no new students willing to join the board game club, so we pulled in a random passerby who was visiting the school."
Just like you, Ryu rolled his eyes.
Yotsuya Mieruko appeared to be a quiet and pretty girl. Today, she wore a simple outfit of a knit sweater and jeans, with a cute charm hanging from her backpack, no different from any other high school girl enjoying her youth.
She wasn't from an elite family, nor were her grades exceptional enough for special admission. She wasn't a student at Shuchiin Academy, just a first-year at an ordinary high school.
The opportunity arose during the Spring Festival a few months ago. Shuchiin Academy's ceremonies were always grand, attracting not only students and parents but also local residents and students from other schools to visit and have fun.
Mieruko and her best friend were two of the many who had come to see the festivities. However, they were somehow spotted and captured by the board game club, which was playing "human-sized Ludo," and inexplicably became members of "Chika and her merry companions."
Afterward, they often went out shopping and hanging out together. With the characteristic speed of female friendships, they soon became the closest of friends.
As it happened, the board game club was often messing around, had few members, produced no results, and used up a lot of the activities budget. As a result, they were warned that their next allocated share would be cut.
Thus, to avert the crisis of the club being disbanded, the beautiful high school girl Fujiwara Chika decided to become an ido—ahem, to pull in her best friend to make up the numbers.
In principle, Shuchiin Academy allowed for the existence of "joint clubs," meaning even students from other schools could join. This was because it was very difficult to gather enough people for some niche hobbies, and it would seem unreasonable to reject them all outright. So, this compromise was made.
However, in reality, high school students' social circles are relatively fixed, and students from different schools have few opportunities to interact, making a "joint" club almost impossible. Furthermore, establishing a joint club itself required permission from the student council, and the process was extremely tedious.
The school just used this as an excuse to deal with those niche hobbyists~
But Fujiwara Chika was a woman known as the "Queen of Schemes." How could she be stumped by such a trivial matter!
As the student council secretary, she made a little use of her connections and public authority, and just like that, the problem was solved.
"U-um, please take care of me tonight, Kuse... senpai."
Mieruko stayed close to Chika. While not exactly trembling, she was clearly very nervous around Ryu, looking like she might hide behind Chika like a hermit crab at any moment.
This [Villain] negative talent is such a pain!
Knowing full well how "fearsome" he was, Ryu didn't try to force familiarity. He simply smiled gently and nodded at her in acknowledgment.
Chika took charge. "Don't be scared, Ryu-chan is really easy to get along with. Once you get used to him, you'll be fine!"
"I-I'm not scared, cough!"
Mieruko swallowed, took a deep breath to barely calm herself, and bowed earnestly. "My apologies, it's not that I dislike Kuse-senpai... I'm just a bit shy around strangers."
"It's fine. No matter what the outside world says about me, it's better to see for yourself, isn't it?"
"Thank you~"
Ryu was indeed, as Chika had said, not a difficult person to be around, which let Mieruko breathe a sigh of relief.
—But she still couldn't completely relax.
Aside from Ryu's own fearsome reputation, a more important point was that she saw something very subtle about the young man.
Yes, this high school girl, who appeared gentle, quiet, and a bit timid, actually had a pair of special eyes that could see many things ordinary people couldn't—in common terms, 'ghosts' and 'spirits'.
The problem was, she could only see them; she had no ability to fight back against evil spirits. So she usually suffered a lot, having to pretend she couldn't see anything and struggling to get by while maintaining the persona of a Muggle in front of all sorts of bizarre demons.
Incidentally, the higher the population density, the more malevolent spirits there were that couldn't pass on. A deserted mountain forest like this, though it looked terrifying, was actually quite peaceful.
So, for an ordinary person, a test of courage would be a huge trial for the heart, but for her, it was more like a leisurely activity~
"Pardon my asking, but do you engage in any sports, Kuse-senpai?"
"Mm, I know a little bit about archery and kendo."
"No wonder..."
When she first started high school, she suddenly became able to see strange things one day. Then, a month ago, she inexplicably gained a new ability to see something akin to an 'aura'.
In her eyes, Ryu's 'aura' was unique. It was completely different from the aura of ordinary people, which was like a thin mist or faint light. His was more condensed and structured, like a polygonal crystal.
Perhaps this could be explained by his particularly strong life force and spiritual energy. But beyond the aura... strictly speaking, the black energy faintly coalescing behind him was something Mieruko had never encountered before.
That... was not a spirit, yet it shifted不定 as if alive, like a shadow, like ink, like black mist. As it gathered and dispersed, it would occasionally reveal the 'visage of a fierce demon'! Not the kind of ghosts Mieruko usually saw, but an Asura mask you'd find in a picture book!
Could this man be the reincarnation of some Sengoku-era warlord? Mieruko, half in doubt and half in fear, could only keep her mouth shut in the end.
"Alright, now that everyone knows each other, let the test of courage begin!" Ryu looked around and clapped his hands happily.
"No!"
Chika immediately retorted without a second thought. "How can you be so calm? Before we officially start, shouldn't you properly introduce these uncles behind you?"
Following Chika's complaint, everyone had to face the issue they had been deliberately ignoring:
A total of six high school students were present for this test of courage: Fujiwara Chika, Yotsuya Mieruko, and two other members of the board game club, as well as Kuse Ryu and Rurikawa Tsubaki, who was like his shadow.
But besides these six, within the streetlight's glow, there were over a dozen strangely dressed people waiting!
"Don't mind them, they're just here as the atmosphere crew."
"Atmosphere crew?"
Mieruko and the others glanced over, their expressions somewhat complicated.
They certainly created an atmosphere... it was a professional team with an average age of over thirty, dressed in priest robes, holding ritual implements, and carrying a small portable shrine, on which a goshintai was enshrined.
—When these people appear in the deep mountains at night, the atmosphere has already reached its peak!
"W-w-we're just here for a test of courage, right?"
Chika's two companions gripped each other's hands, their voices trembling. "There aren't any extra events like a ritual sacrifice, are there?!"
"We're just holding a test of courage and looking for an urban legend on the side, not performing a religious service..."
"Even I think Lord Ryu's reaction is a bit excessive."
The girls all thought Ryu was making a mountain out of a molehill, but all they got in return was a disdainful curl of his lip.
Most of the ghosts in The Girl Who Can See Them were resentful spirits of the dead, possessing no real supernatural powers, and they basically only targeted humans who could see them. Although there were occasional exceptions, like the mountain spirit with a massive body, the general rule was 'what you don't know can't hurt you'.
Anyone with a strong will who knew this rule had nothing to fear.
But in any case, it was a world with supernatural powers, and especially around the main character, Yotsuya Mieruko, the probability of encountering powerful ghosts would be higher.
Ryu never fought a battle unprepared!
It wasn't that he was certain these priests were reliable, but if something did happen... the priests would act as natural aggro-magnets for the evil spirits, giving him time to respond calmly.
It might sound a bit unscrupulous, but Ryu usually called it 'efficiency' and 'cost-effectiveness'~
"You made me postpone the test of courage for three days just to gather people?"
Chika was starting to lose her patience with her childhood friend. "You're a grown man, and you're still afraid of ghosts?
That's just superstition, you're being way too dramatic!"
Superstition? And who was it that swore they were coming here to find Sukuna?
"I told you, I just invited these masters to enhance the atmosphere."
And to be meat shields at a critical moment—of course, he couldn't say that out loud.
"Ruri-chan, you should say something to him too. With all this, even someone who wasn't scared before would be terrified now~"
"I think this is what a true 'test of courage' should be, Miss Chika."
Ruri naturally defended Ryu. "Isn't it better the more realistic it is?"
"Ngh..."
Chika couldn't win the argument and was desperately looking for a comeback when she suddenly noticed something strange.
"Speaking of which, isn't that box a bit too long... It must be three meters, right? What's inside?"
"Huh?" Ruri turned back in surprise and saw that on the portable shrine guarded by the priests, besides the stone statue serving as the goshintai, there was also an exquisite wooden box nearly three meters long. It seemed to be enshrined as a secondary deity. The intricate inlay patterns and the beautiful lacquered finish on its exterior made it look ancient.
"That is... Lord Ryu, do you know?"
"Of course. And you all should know it too."
Ryu glanced back. One of the priests, perhaps understanding his meaning, immediately had his companion help him lift the box down with great care.
Chika went forward. "Ruri, help me open the lid. Hehe, let me see what's inside—huh?"
The two approached, but just as Ruri was about to touch it, she was stopped by a priest, much to the surprise of the two high school girls.
"Excuse me, did we do something wrong?"
"No, it's just... women cannot touch it. This is a rule passed down through generations at the shrine."
"...I see, well, can't be helped then." Chika scratched her head in embarrassment, and a look of disappointment crossed Ruri's face as well.
Although they were curious, neither of them was assertive enough to challenge 'tradition'. Everyone else present also thought it was only natural—after all, this was Japan, where many feudal traditions were blatantly and matter-of-factly upheld.
Hearing this, Ryu spoke up. "We should certainly respect their rules—if it were the real thing."
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
Everyone, including the priests, was stunned.
"But this one today is just a replica, so there's no need to worry."
Ryu walked over and smiled slightly. "Open it."
Ruri's eyes flashed, and she placed her hand on it without hesitation. She always carried out Ryu's words to the letter, no questions asked.
The priest looked at the maid's hand, then hesitantly raised his head, meeting Ryu's gaze, which was sharp even in the darkness.
"Is it not a replica?"
"It is. The genuine article is far too important to leave the shrine... this is merely a reproduction from the Edo period."
The priests bowed their heads deeply and lifted the box slightly.
Chika's mouth fell slightly open, and she turned to look at Ryu with some unease. "This..."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing... hehe!"
Chika paused, then gave Ryu a silly grin. "Thanks, Ryu-chan~ In that case, I won't be shy!"
She and Ruri, one on each side, slowly lifted the lid. Under the streetlight, inside lay a long, slender, and rusty piece of iron. Though it had the shape of a sword, it looked as unremarkable as construction debris, yet it rested upon a luxurious silk cushion, creating an extreme sense of dissonance.
The only special thing about it was its length—
A full two and a half meters, a size that no human could possibly wield!
"This is..."
"This is a replica... of the treasure passed down through generations at Kashima Shrine."
The priest spoke slowly, his voice filled with reverence. "Its name is 'Kontō Kuro-urushi Heimon Goshirae.' It was forged in the Heian period and was enshrined for a thousand years as the goshintai of the god Takemikazuchi-no-Okami."
"Takemikazuchi... isn't that Takemikazuchi-no-Mikoto? A goshintai from the Heian period?"
The high school girls were all stunned. Chika pulled her hand back as if she'd been burned. "Th-th-this isn't a National Treasure?!"
"The real one is a National Treasure, but this is a replica."
Ruri remained calm and closed the lid again.
She had no doubt about its authenticity—if Ryu said it was fake, then it could only be fake.
"Hey... Ryu-chan, isn't this going a bit too far? I really just wanted an excuse to come out and play... I don't really care about Sukuna or anything!"
"You need enough immersion to have fun in a TRPG session, right?"
"Just to add to the atmosphere, you brought out a National Trea—"
In that moment, Chika once again realized just how ridiculously powerful her childhood friend was~
Compared to their shock, Ryu didn't think it was a big deal:
They called it a thousand-year-old sword, but it was really just a straight sword from the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty. It was either gifted or traded and found its way to Japan. At best, its style was just a bit unusual.
On the mainland, this thing would be precious, sure, but calling it a 'National Treasure' would be a stretch~
"It's getting late, let's hurry up and start." Ryu glanced at his watch.
As the event organizer, Chika first shot Ryu a glare, then shook her head vigorously to calm down.
"Okay! Let's begin!
There are no wild animals in these mountains. I already placed glow sticks on the path during the day. We'll split into pairs and head up the mountain, then meet up at the shrine.
As for the priest-uncles... I didn't account for this... please watch over us from the shadows and exorcise any demons!"
The priests looked at each other. Although they felt like they were being ordered around, none of them objected.
After all, their head priest lost everything speculating on real estate, and now even the shrine's land belonged to the Kuse Group.
Forget just borrowing a treasured artifact; even if the shrine were to be converted into the Kuse family's personal shrine, they would have to quietly accept it!
"Esteemed priests, please go on ahead. Since there are girls with us, it's better to be safe. We're counting on you."
"We understand. Please rest assured, Master Kuse."
The white-robed priests split into three groups. The first group, carrying the portable shrine, went first, followed by those holding various ritual implements, with the ancient sword goshintai bringing up the rear.
It wasn't far from here to the shrine. With three teams of priests patrolling back and forth, they wouldn't have to worry about any stray ghosts.
The high school students quickly drew lots to form groups. Ryu and Yotsuya Mieruko were paired together.
Chika giggled. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be alone with a beautiful girl at night, Ryu-chan~"
"Don't say that. Can't you see she's uncomfortable?" Ryu apologized to the slightly nervous Mieruko on behalf of his childhood friend. "Don't worry, we'll run into the priests often along the way, so there's no danger. Even if something unexpected happens, I'll do my best to handle it properly."
"Th-thank you..." Mieruko blinked, her expression relaxing considerably.
Ryu spoke very seriously, almost formally, but it was surprisingly reassuring. It was probably because when he spoke, his face was completely devoid of a perfunctory professional smile; instead, he looked as solemn as if he were taking an oath.
"Yotsuya-san, you must be anxious, right? It can't be helped, being alone with a boy you've just met... How about we switch?"
Ruri thoughtfully made the suggestion to Mieruko, but to her surprise, the high school girl shook her head and refused!
"There's no need. I feel that Kuse-senpai is quite trustworthy... I'll be in your care tonight, senpai."
—Ruri gave Mieruko a meaningful look.
...
Yaaaaaaah~!!!
A strange creature resembling a large mudskipper let out a piercing scream that ordinary people couldn't hear. As if placed on a red-hot iron plate, its whole body convulsed, emitting wisps of black smoke, and it soon dissipated completely.
"..."
"Yotsuya-san?"
"Huh?"
Hearing her name, Mieruko snapped back to reality and saw Ryu looking at her with concern.
Her face tensed up a bit, and the girl couldn't help but take half a step back. "Wh-what is it?"
"You seem to have been lost in thought. Watch your step."
"Sorry." Mieruko smiled sheepishly. "I haven't been getting enough sleep these past few days."
"It must be tough for you all, always going along with Chika's nonsense. Making girls your age stay up late... lack of sleep is the greatest enemy of beauty."
Ryu walked ahead and waved his hand. "Let's pick up the pace, then. I'll have someone take you home after this is over."
"Thank you, Kuse-senpai."
Mieruko followed closely behind him. Although she should have been watching the path, she couldn't help but keep glancing at Ryu.
Of course, this wasn't due to any romantic attraction. While Ryu was charming, to Mieruko, who had just met him, he was still a 'legendary figure'. It was better for a commoner like her not to get too involved with him.
The reason she chose to team up with Ryu was mainly out of curiosity about the strange shadow behind him. Also, due to a woman's intuition, the closer she got to Ryu, the more she felt an inexplicable sense of security~
Ever since she suddenly gained 'Yin-Yang Eyes' a year ago, she had been seeing disgusting or ferocious spirits almost every day. It could be said that she lived in fear. This had also forced her to develop a few special skills, such as forcibly overcoming her fear when necessary to maintain a calm poker face, or controlling her line of sight to avoid being drawn in.
It was all to pretend she 'couldn't see' them, to escape the spirits' attention.
Another important skill was danger perception, which was as sensitive as a small animal's.
In nature, different species sometimes form strange symbiotic relationships, with the weak clinging to the strong to avoid predators. Mieruko's actions were unintentionally following this law.
For example, just now, a small evil spirit had tried to suck Ryu's 'vitality', only to be burned to death by his overly vigorous and scorching life force... Mieruko had a best friend who was also that type of energetic person.
However, Ryu's display was much more exaggerated.
And Mieruko noticed that after the evil spirit was destroyed, an extremely faint mist remained, swirling around Ryu as if drawn by something, before finally disappearing into the shadow behind him.
Is it my imagination? I feel like that thing, like a spirit on his back, is getting clearer...
Mieruko had 'seen a lot' during this time and knew that there were some spiritualists in human society. But frankly, most of them could barely see spirits, some even less than she could.
As for someone like Ryu, who seemed to have special abilities, this was the first time she'd met one!
Ryu seemed casual, but in reality, he had long since noticed Mieruko's particularly intense gaze.
This angle... my back?
So eye-catching, the only thing I can think of is the [Demon Back].
But the [Demon Back] is undoubtedly a purely physical combat ability. There shouldn't be anything for 'Yin-Yang Eyes' to notice.
'[Ghost of Extremely High Purity]' does involve the supernatural... but if a powerful evil spirit were attached to me, Mieruko would be too afraid to stare directly at it.'
Strange~
Ryu thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what was going on. He could only continue walking along the night path without showing any sign, planning to investigate it properly later.
The beam from his flashlight swept back and forth across the mountain path. Although it was overgrown with weeds up to their ankles due to lack of use, it fortunately wasn't too rugged. Occasionally, the beam would sweep over some 'blurry' things, which Ryu ignored completely.
He didn't know if it was the influence of the [Ghost] ability or because he had met Mieruko, but he found that he also seemed to have some talent for spiritual sight. Currently, he could only see what looked like pixelated shadows of evil spirits, but as time went on, he was seeing them more and more clearly.
He could also faintly hear some static-like noise in his ears, but he couldn't understand its meaning at all.
Yaiiiiiieee!!!
—Without changing his expression, he stepped over a 'lizard', paying no mind as it shrieked and disintegrated. He didn't even glance down once. Mieruko, following behind, felt her heart leap but forced herself to walk calmly past that spot.
Ryu knew Mieruko was quite uneasy, so he intentionally tried to make conversation to ease the awkwardness. He rubbed his chin and casually asked, "Does this shrine have a name?"
"It does. Nishikida Shrine," Mieruko quickly replied.
"Nishikida Shrine? I don't recall it."
"That's normal. It's a small shrine that's been abandoned for a long time."
Mieruko, however, knew the background quite well. "They say it was built by the locals to commemorate the ancient warrior who sealed Sukuna, but it hasn't been maintained for a long time and is now in ruins."
"The warrior who sealed Sukuna?"
Ryu asked cheerfully, "Was his name Gojo or Itadori?"
"Gojo? What's that? I said it's Nishikida Shrine, so of course his surname was Nishikida."
Mieruko tilted her head. "But the names of ancient warriors are really troublesome... something-something Ryu... I think his full name was 'Nishikida Kojūrō Kagetatsu'."
"Oh, Nishikida Kagetatsu, sounds like a very impressive war... huh?"
Ryu froze for a second. "Nishikida Kagetatsu? Nishikida Kagetatsu!"
He couldn't smile anymore.
—What the hell, which Sukuna is this?!
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