Chapter 26: Selling her sister...

Warty growths covered both of the young woman's palms and appeared to be spreading up her arms. Even Sona Sitri couldn't help feeling a chill at the sight; the dense clusters were downright creepy.

"Can't you cut them off first and then treat her?"

she asked.

"No. Every three or four months, Sis Eiko goes to a shrine where a miko (shrine maiden) trims off the extra threads. Even if they get completely cut away, they always grow back."

Hozuki Yayoi answered.

"The miko said that unless the curse is removed altogether, it'll never truly go away."

After hearing this, no one else spoke. Hikaru stepped forward for a closer look. As he gently touched the growths, Eiko let out a quiet gasp of pain.

"They're connected to her nerves and blood vessels. That's definitely tricky."

He recalled Yayoi's mention of a miko, meaning they'd already sought help from someone with spiritual power. But apparently, the miko's power only treated symptoms and not the root cause, and it involved painful procedures.

Eiko gave a small sigh, though she quickly forced away her gloom:

"Honestly, I've sort of gotten used to it. Besides, didn't Kishimojin say I only have to wait five more years?"

"Eiko, the miko also warned that your curse could worsen over time. Five years from now, even Kishimojin might be helpless."

Yayoi reminded her.

"Huh? She… she really said that?"

Eiko froze.

"All right, enough with the pity act. While the curse is troublesome, it's not without a solution."

Hikaru examined the girl's body. From sensing her aura, he could tell a blackish energy lurked inside, drawing closer and closer to merging with her own life force. Once fully fused, it would be very difficult to handle.

Hozuki Yayoi was momentarily taken aback. He just said it was troublesome, and now he's saying there's a way?

"But I literally just finished purifying Kishimojin, so I can't do it today. Let me rest up, and you can contact me again in a few days. I also need time to figure out my fee."

"Isn't a 'benefit' enough? Sis Eiko is a well-known beauty at her school. There's a whole line of guys chasing her from East Street to West Street."

Yayoi asked, puzzled.

"And if that's not enough, I can make a 'sacrifice' for you too. I promise I won't call the cops."

"A 'benefit'? What benefit?"

Eiko poked her head over, asking curiously.

"You know… this and that…"

As Yayoi explained, Eiko's cheeks visibly reddened. She quickly pulled Yayoi into her arms, pressing the little girl's head down with an awkward smile:

"I'm sorry to trouble you. Yayoi was just spouting nonsense. She's a kid and doesn't know better."

"It's fine. I never took it seriously,"

Hikaru replied calmly.

"But I was being serious."

Yayoi wasn't backing down. For her, trading a bit of "benefit" for someone to remove Eiko's curse was a deal of a lifetime. Besides, Hikaru was handsome and charismatic; letting him have a peek wouldn't be a loss at all.

"A-anyway, we'll be in touch. You can name your price when we do, and we'll do our best to accommodate you."

Eiko said. Though she had to wait a few days, she wasn't about to complain—after all, the miko who served a deity couldn't fix this curse, and here was someone giving her a definite chance at relief. She was plenty grateful.

Hikaru was equally fine with it. First, he genuinely needed rest after purifying Kishimojin. Second, he hadn't decided what compensation to ask for. He wasn't some pervert so starved that he'd jump at every "benefit." And if the girl's "purity" was on the table—well, he wouldn't exactly refuse, but nor was he desperate enough to set that as his sole requirement.

They exchanged contact info on social media. Then Eiko drove off with Yayoi in the backseat, who waved goodbye to Hikaru from the window.

Left behind at the foot of the eerie temple mountain were Hikaru, Sona, and Tsubaki. With Kishimojin purified, the place lost some of its creepiness and grew calmer.

"Sona, do devils often cooperate with deities?"

Hikaru asked suddenly.

Surprised, she adjusted her glasses:

"Only in some cases. Take Kishimojin, for example—a deity in charge of guiding deceased infants. As long as such deities aren't causing trouble, we in the Underworld will grant them some leeway, since lost souls need somewhere to go. The Underworld does have its own department for that, but from what my sister tells me, managing the spirits of the dead has been increasingly difficult for ages, which is why there are more incidents of evil spirits attacking the living."

She sighed. Despite their efforts, evil spirits tended to hide so deeply—sometimes possessing humans—that devils could only respond once an attack happened and was clearly not caused by a person. The back-and-forth investigation wasted a lot of time.

Suddenly, something else dawned on her:

Wait—he just called me 'Sona' by name.

And we're in Japan, so…

Well, whatever. Deepening our partnership is probably for the best right now.

Hikaru's strength had already shattered her understanding. Sona decided it was fine for him to address her that way.

"By the way, you completed this request perfectly. Do you want anything in particular as a reward? Money, antiques, gold, or maybe something exclusive to the Underworld?"

"Nah, I'm good on money. Do you have any spellbooks for magic training?"

Hikaru asked. Though he could manipulate magical energy, he'd never studied formal magic systematically. Apart from releasing magic power offensively, he didn't really know much—or wasn't very proficient at anything else.

~~~

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