Chapter 40: It's Usually People, Not Ghosts, Who Ruin the Atmosphere
In Japanese belief, mountains are considered the gathering place for the souls of the dead and the place closest to the afterlife.
That's why, in many ghost stories, deep within uninhabited, desolate mountains, there are terrifying realms where spirits wander.
But Mount Inari is clearly not one of those places.
This mountain is considered a sacred mountain—a spiritual mountain inhabited by gods and spirits. In the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), many deities reside in such high or sacred mountains.
To keep humans from intruding upon their sacred domain, these gods often issue warnings or even bring down disasters upon trespassers.
In short, at a shrine where gods are worshipped, ghosts or evil spirits generally shouldn't appear.
That kind of thing only happens at temples with cemeteries.
After all, for evil spirits to appear at a shrine, someone with great power would have to place a curse upon it.
But even if the local committee didn't intervene, the onmyōji (practitioners of traditional Japanese esoteric cosmology) of Kyoto would never allow such a thing to happen at Fushimi Inari Taisha.
The only exceptions would be guardians or shikigami (spiritual familiars).
Hikigaya had gotten a clear look just now.
The mountain demon, though hideous in appearance, had the body of a child, closely matching the appearance of Japan's guardian child spirits.
These guardian spirits in child form are called hōshō-dōji (guardian children).
Depending on their origin, guardians can take different forms—those derived from animal spirits, for instance, are especially adept at possession and protection.
In Japanese Buddhism, guardians protect those who practice Buddhism and obey their commands—they are gods or spirit beings. The shikigami of the onmyōji function similarly.
Even the foxes of the Inari clan sometimes take on this role.
They may accept prayers from travelers visiting Kumano and possess them to offer protection, effectively acting as guardians.
Although Hikigaya doesn't practice any magic or spells, that doesn't mean he's ignorant—he's been a God Slayer for a long time.
His authority is a power that surpasses all spells, tracing back to their very source.
However, this particular mountain demon felt different to Hikigaya. Though it appeared as a guardian child, it didn't behave like a controlled guardian or shikigami.
Could it be that some inept practitioner lost control of their guardian or shikigami?
That would be ridiculous, since such beings, once out of control, can indeed backfire on their master—just like in the novels.
Just then, from outside the torii gate, the mountain demon's voice rang out once more, then fell silent again.
That confirmed its identity for Hikigaya.
This was a vocal spirit among the mountain spirits—an Amanojaku, a type of wood spirit.
The Japanese believe such beings respond to human calls.
However, if they call out on their own, it's dangerous—it means they are luring humans in order to kill them.
Hikigaya scoffed at that idea.
Japanese yokai tend to be clingy and comical rather than monstrous.
Take Tamamo-no-Mae, for instance—not only clingy but constantly fondling girls and cuddling them like pillows. With behavior like that, can you even call yourself a yokai?
Please. That thing had a big breakfast and hasn't digested yet—it might throw up.
So, Hikigaya figured the mountain spirit was just yelling at them. Based on his experience, it probably translated roughly to: "Piss off! Quit following me, damn it!"
And he had proof.
That newbie onmyōji girl nearby was clearly having trouble breathing—her face had gone green. Classic sign of being cursed out.
But Hikigaya had forgotten—next to him was a not-so-compact individual with excessive water content who couldn't understand the mountain spirit's words.
Thanks to Osiris's power over moisture, he could feel some mysterious water buildup nearby.
Horrified, Hikigaya turned his head—and sure enough, Miura's legs were clamped tightly together, and her body was visibly trembling.
Even worse—she was clinging tighter to his arm. Her two mountains were practically pancaked against him…
Crap! Time to switch places—Violent Sensei, come take over!
"Yah—Hachiman, did you hear that voice too?"
Miura looked up at him, and he actually admired her a little—because she was trying to force a smile.
Clearly, she knew she hadn't imagined the sound.
And honestly, that mountain demon's laugh was horribly unpleasant.
Even for a God Slayer like Hikigaya, it was disgusting.
No sane person would think it was caused by wind or something.
Especially his classmates who'd had an earlier encounter with a yokai—they were all visibly uneasy now.
Even Hayama and the others had unconsciously drawn closer to Hikigaya.
Though none of them were as exaggerated as Miura…
Yukino's expression remained calmest, but her actions weren't exactly calm—she silently circled to Hikigaya's other side and clung to his other arm.
What the hell? You're interfering with my escape plan!
And come to think of it, the crowd had been thinning along the path—only adding to the creepy atmosphere.
While it didn't affect Hikigaya at all, for someone like Miura—a certified ghost-fearing expert—it was a nightmare.
The only stranger nearby was the newbie onmyōji girl, and she looked like she was about to go berserk from being mocked by the mountain spirit—her small chest was heaving violently.
She clearly had a temper.
But that wasn't the point.
Why does he always run into ghosts when he's with Miura? And why is he always standing closest to her when it happens?!
So frustrating...
"It's nothing. Probably just normal forest sounds," Hikigaya tried to pull his arm away.
No use. In fact, Miura seemed to notice and clung tighter, glaring at him suspiciously.
Aren't you supposed to be scared of ghosts? Why do you look like you just scored a legendary drop in a dungeon?!
"Hachiman, don't move…"
No, YOU don't move. Please. For the love of all things holy, don't move.
Hikigaya shot a wary glance at Yukino.
Thankfully, she was just expressionless as usual, which was normal for her.
"Ah, I heard it too. Who the hell is that?" came Hiratsuka-sensei's annoyed voice from behind them.
Probably irritated she couldn't smoke in the mountains.
But when she saw Miura clinging to Hikigaya's arm, her eyes turned dagger-sharp—like she was staring down a class enemy.
"Getting bold, aren't you? Flirting right in front of your teacher."
Yes! Come closer, please!
"Yeah, yeah, Shizuka-sensei, please help us out. Maybe hiking is too much for girls. It's remote here—let's head back," Hikigaya pleaded.
He prayed as Hiratsuka-sensei approached, hoping to hand over the situation without having to use divine speed.
And then that cursed woman stopped.
"Huh? Don't be ridiculous. I'm not interrupting young love."
Love? Go flaunt your invisible husband somewhere else! Just come take over already!
You're in black stockings—this is your moment to shine, woman!
Just as Hikigaya panicked, the mountain spirit's voice rang out again.
This time, it wasn't a laugh—it was a clear shout.
"Hereyaaa~!"
"Shut up already!" Hikigaya and Hiratsuka-sensei shouted in unison, the latter adding something about not shouting while pooping in the mountains like a damn pervert.
Hikigaya clammed up immediately—he'd felt Miura nearly lose control.
Why can't this girl bring some of her usual bravado into these situations?
None of the others are this terrified.
"Hachiman, is this… that kind of thing again?"
Finally, a third voice joined the conversation.
It was Hayama.
Clearly the braver type (and this was his second time), he seemed relatively composed despite looking pale.
"Weird, I've been here before and never experienced this…"
He looked at Hikigaya and suddenly seemed to realize something.
"You better not be blaming this on me," Hikigaya instantly retorted.
"Haha, no, of course not… Ahem, let's head back."
Hayama scratched his head awkwardly, trying to hide the fact that he had been thinking that. Then he glanced at Hikigaya, whose arms were occupied by two girls, and gave him a sympathetic look.
"Maybe it's just echoes from other hikers. It is a mountain, after all."
Honestly, a pretty reasonable explanation—and it seemed to calm Miura a bit.
But soon, her expression tensed again, and her legs began to fidget uncomfortably.
That movement made Hikigaya incredibly nervous…
Just as the atmosphere was starting to settle—
It was shattered again.
But this time, not by the mountain spirit. By a human.
"Students over there, this area is dangerous. Don't move—I'll protect you."
Chapter 41: I Freaking Just Wanted to Help Someone
Hikigaya felt that, after all, being alone was more convenient.
Or rather, Miura was just way too cowardly...
Honestly, They had been stalked by that perverted Seth back then, but her aftereffects seemed a bit too much, didn't they?
Also, this was clearly the second time encountering a ghost — everyone else was doing fine, so why was she so easily scared?
Speaking of Seth, he kept forgetting that he needed to take a trip to Egypt.
Still, as a god-slaying wielder of Moisture, making the same mistake twice was a no-go!
And now was a perfect opportunity, because Miura seemed like she could still hold on, while the others were clearly distracted by that rookie Onmyoji girl up front.
Good job, rookie — keep it up, don't stop.
Looking at the Onmyoji girl up front, sounding all high and mighty about protecting everyone, Hikigaya nodded to himself quietly, then stealthily reached his finger toward Miura.
Don't misunderstand — it wasn't about doing anything perverted…
However, just as he was about to touch it, a soft, very soft voice flowed into his ear — but to Hikigaya, it was as loud as thunder.
"What are you doing?"
Hikigaya froze.
With a bitter look on his face, he turned his head and saw Yukinoshita Yukino's calm gaze.
Maybe not so calm — beneath that serene look, he thought he could see something buried deeper.
"Nothing really."
He curled his lip and replied in a low voice.
Yukinoshita Yukino quietly looked at him.
Suddenly, she seemed to chuckle a little, then let go of Hikigaya's hand. After that, she appeared to become intensely interested in the writing on the nearby torii gate, staring at it without another word.
She really got it!
Too bad she got it a bit too late...
Because just then, as the mountain ghost once again went silent, everyone began to snap out of the earlier chaos.
And up ahead, that still-unnamed rookie Onmyoji girl walked over.
"Where are you all from?"
She asked.
Everyone looked at each other, and ultimately it was Hayama who responded.
"We're from Chiba," he said. "What happened just now? Could you tell us?"
"Chiba…" the girl frowned, looking as if she remembered something unpleasant. But it was just a fleeting moment; her face soon returned to its blank expression.
"Strange. Why did you all manage to follow along so easily? I was sure I isolated everyone with a barrier."
Nani? Wait — girl, your spell was to isolate people?
Behind the group, Hikigaya scratched his nose with his now-freed left hand, a bit embarrassed.
He had felt a faint magical force earlier — but walked right through it without hesitation, and naturally, the spell lost its effect.
Speaking of which… not even realizing your own spell was broken — and you still dare to go ghost hunting?
Although Hikigaya didn't know much about the Onmyoji — or more accurately, about how spellcasters subdued ghosts to turn them into guardians or familiars — this girl just gave off a very unreliable vibe.
Then, the girl spoke again.
"Now that you're in, there's nothing to be done. A ghost that actively calls people is very dangerous — but it can't enter here, so as long as you don't run around, you'll be fine."
As she spoke, she pulled out a handful of white paper from her pocket.
Hikigaya noticed that all the paper pieces had been cut into the shape of swords.
"Take one — each of you. This will protect you."
The girl might be clumsy, but her heart was kind.
She handed the paper swords to Hayama, and as she did, she reminded everyone not to wander off.
And then she wandered off herself.
She slipped through a gap in the torii gate and went into the nearby forest. In the blink of an eye, she was gone.
What a carefree little girl. Isn't she even a little curious about why her spell failed?
"Hachiman."
Hayama walked over with a wry smile, holding the sword-shaped paper given to him.
"This thing — how do we use it?"
"Just keep it on your body, it actually works," Hikigaya replied, taking one and feeling the strong magical force within. This was far stronger than before.
He could bet this wasn't something that girl made herself — but for her to carry a whole bunch and just hand them out, that was pretty generous.
Another reckless kid ignoring their parents or master and taking on jobs on their own, huh?
Controlling ghosts and spirits was a specialty of Kyoto's Onmyoji — far more so than the Tokyo faction, which was led by the four major families.
The most famous of them were En no Ozunu and Abe no Seimei.
Especially the former — regarded as the founder of this magical art.
His techniques for controlling ghosts and spirits were seen as the precursor to modern guardian spirits and familiars.
Among the more famous spirits he controlled were Zenki and Goki, the Eight Great Boy Demons, and the Twenty-Eight Legions.
As for Abe no Seimei, he was even called the greatest master of ghost control in all of Japanese history — having built a house at the demon gate in Kyoto and commanded twelve powerful spirit generals known as the Twelve Divine Generals.
Seishuin Ena's divine possession ability was also derived from such arts — the method of "kami-kakari," or divine descent.
Thanks to her Miko heritage, her starting point was quite high, being a descendant of Susanoo-no-Mikoto, and thus started with the sword of the heavens.
Anyway, that's off-topic. Since that little girl had such a kind heart, Hikigaya figured he should help out.
A girl that weak — even if you gave her a whole bucket of talismans, she probably still wouldn't be able to deal with that mountain ghost.
Judging by that ghost's behavior, it probably had some serious strength.
So first, he told Hayama to pass out the talismans to everyone, then said:
"I'll head over as well. You all just stay here and don't move."
"Eh? Hikitani-kun, isn't that dangerous?" Tobe shivered, "What if that thing comes back?"
"Come back?" Hikigaya gave him a look of amused disbelief.
"Don't joke — that little girl's words were just a precaution. That thing can't get in — this is a shrine, not a temple."
He shook his head and tried to pull his hand away.
"Hachiman, I'm scared…" Miura acted all cutesy again, blushing like mad.
Right — almost forgot. People have physical needs.
"Don't worry, it's totally safe. We've got the teacher, don't we?" Hikigaya said as he patted her hand.
But unfortunately, he still couldn't pull away — this girl was really being overly timid, more so than Tobe even.
No choice. Hikigaya had her sit down, and under the stunned gaze of everyone else, placed his hand on Miura's head and started rubbing.
"Hah!? You bastard — seriously pulling this kind of stunt in front of your teacher!?"
The always-squinting Hiratsuka-sensei nearly jumped up.
"Don't be ridiculous, I'm helping here." Hikigaya shot back, annoyed. Then he glanced at Yukino, who was clearly trying to keep a blank expression — but the slight curl at the corner of her mouth betrayed her.
If it weren't for her, he could've quietly finished the job earlier.
After a while, Miura's expression improved — anyone with eyes could see she was fine now.
She was fine, but her face seemed even redder than before — and her eyes were watery as hell.
So now Hikigaya felt like he was the one in trouble...
Zaimozuka why many of my powers are related to fertility! Can we please not make everything about reproductive organs!?