Chapter 912 - 29: Winds Rising
Was that person just about to casually say...
...to form a contract with him and become a Magical Girl or something?
Yatsugaya Miko subconsciously opened her mouth, momentarily unsure of what to say. After all, she was just an ordinary girl with perfectly normal interests and hobbies, and she had once learned a thing or two about Magical Girls.
So she could understand this trope...
But if this truly were the case, then this Fox Immortal really had a greater understanding of modern society than she had expected...
However, perhaps it was precisely because of this small detail that the black-haired girl inexplicably felt much more at ease. It was a subconscious feeling—through this point, it seemed she realized that the presence before her wasn’t something completely unfathomable...
On the contrary, the other party had a deep understanding of humans, even seemingly no different from the boy next door.
Realizing this naturally caused the girl to breathe a significant sigh of relief.
She carefully pressed her lips together and cautiously observed Gu Mo, "You, you’re really not Tamamo no Mae?" She had also been listening to what just happened, and now she couldn’t help but confirm. Just looking at the young man in front of her, however, she couldn’t associate him with being a woman.
So, it shouldn’t be, right?
Or was it that she, with her ordinary human eyes, simply couldn’t see the truth and couldn’t make a reliable judgment like those professional Demon Exorcists?
"...Of course not."
Gu Mo was silent for a moment before answering faintly.
He had originally intended to establish his Fox Immortal persona, taking the opportunity to display the simulation of the Nine-tailed state in front of Yatsugaya Miko, while also trying to reinforce this impression on Kenshan Yellow Springs.
However, he hadn’t expected the world view to shift as a whole, leaning towards the original model. Some of the elements he had magically altered returned hauntingly... not only disrupting his plan but also throwing off the pace a bit, which inevitably frustrated him.
Now, the chosen Miss Witch even doubted his Divine Lord’s gender, which was even more frustrating.
It seems that when looking for problems and fixing bugs later, he would also need to specifically adjust the results of the Technique to prevent this "strong observer" from subconsciously synchronizing the recognized phenomenon onto himself...
Of course, it wouldn’t be a problem, and he wouldn’t be tripped up, but if unnecessary trouble could be avoided, it would be best to do so.
"Oh..."
Yatsugaya Miko shrank her neck, unsure if it was her imagination or if indeed, the other’s tone somehow turned a bit stiff. Was he angry? Was it because of her question, or because she hadn’t given a direct answer?
Feeling an invisible pressure, the girl had no choice but to take a deep breath, bite her lip, then seriously look at her still somewhat bewildered younger brother beside her, and then nod decisively and say:
"I... have decided!"
She agreed, mustering all her courage. Regardless of whether there was a problem with the other party, could she now retract and refuse? It’s obvious she couldn’t.
If the other party indeed had no issue and truly was a Fox Immortal, then agreeing wouldn’t cause any problems, whereas refusal would seem unfriendly and offend the other party... But if the other party was truly some super Evil Spirit, harboring ill intentions against her...
Then, after the other party had put in so much effort, was it really her choice to simply say no and easily refuse?
Having figured this out, the girl naturally stopped being conflicted, swiftly convincing herself.
Despite her inner turmoil and anxiety, she couldn’t help but console herself, recalling the help given by the other party, which indeed didn’t give off an Evil Spirit’s vibe. When utilizing the Divine Power by the other party, she could feel the warmth and purity...
Merely recalling it slightly made it seem as if a warm current surged within her body, circulating along the vessels and blood vessels, as if the Divine Power was fully active according to her will, ready to operate as soon as she gave the order.
This startled Yatsugaya Miko, prompting her to calm herself.
"That’s good, so let’s sign this contract now..." The young man with white clothes and black hair nodded, patting the girl’s shoulder with an expression of approval, simultaneously taking out what seemed to be a formally-looking contract, which appeared as if he had just drawn it from somewhere, almost as if it simply appeared in his hand.
"Con... contract..."
Yatsugaya Miko paused for a moment, somewhat dazed as she accepted the contract, feeling a sense of absurdity. How did it become so formal?
"Yes, the conditions are just as I mentioned earlier: flexible working hours, no clocking in, no KPIs, incense money bonuses, and after the probation period, I can teach you the Seventy-Two Hand Techniques... Oh, you now have the Level but not the Skills, so I’ll be teaching you the Skills..."
Gu Mo stated matter-of-factly, wearing an expression that said "you’ve hit the jackpot": "That’s basically it, along with various other benefits. The terms are very favorable, so there’s no need to worry about me deceiving you. You can go home and think it over properly, or even consult legal services if you like..."
The so-called contract was actually a Magic Contract.
It was simply presented in the form of a contract for better understanding by modern people, without any tricks from Gu Mo. He found no joy in deceiving the girl before him either.
After all, he wasn’t the Devil. Despite occasionally indulging in some dark humor, he had no interest in coveting others’ souls.
"Oh, oh..."
Yatsugaya Miko mindlessly flipped through the contract in her hands, somewhat nodding in vague understanding, unsure of what to say and feeling an urge to gripe but not knowing where to start, merely nodded dumbly and issued a few perfunctory sounds.
"Th... then, can I... can I too?"
Her younger brother’s eyes lit up beside her. Although still a primary school student, he was quite mature but not mature enough to comprehend his sister’s complex feelings at the moment.
He vaguely deduced his sister’s experiences, seemingly completely different from his initial assumptions, not having fallen victim to a scumbag’s manipulation but rather undergone a trial and guidance to the world’s dark side... Which was utterly cool, like something straight out of an anime or light novel!
Even though getting a contract in this manner leaned a bit too much into the surreal, not quite fitting the fantasy, chuunibyou, high-class setup in his mind, it didn’t stop him from getting excited.
"Sorry, I don’t recruit Witch Men."
Gu Mo decisively refused, what she wanted was Miss Witch, what was this little brat trying to recommend himself for?
"Eh?"
Yotsuya Kousuke was stunned for a moment, and after realizing, the elementary student hurriedly shook his head: "No, no, I’m not trying to be a witch, I meant could there be other opportunities..."
"Sorry, I can’t provide much help... But at your age, you can try being a detective, oh, your name is Kousuke, right? How about considering playing the violin..."
Gu Mo put her hand under her chin and sized up this elementary student, offering such a suggestion.
Becoming a violinist is not bad; perhaps in the future, you could meet a little girlfriend who is a Magical Girl! As for whether Magical Girls actually exist in this world, that’s still up for debate.
Though as a brother, Yotsuya Kousuke is indeed different from his sister, not having many special traits—just an ordinary elementary student. And while his body is that of an elementary student, his mind isn’t of a high school student’s level; he is truly quite ordinary, that’s all.
"Eh..."
Yotsuya Kousuke was a little confused; what kind of strange suggestions were these?
Be a detective?
Play the violin?
Wait a minute, this is a hint, right! This must be some kind of hint, revealing to me how I can enter this world... though unable to directly offer me an opportunity, it has provided clues and direction!
As if he suddenly grasped the key point, the little brat immediately became excited. He cheerfully thanked the youth in front of him earnestly, clenched his fist, and resolved: "Thank you, big brother, I understand! I will definitely succeed, and never let you down!"
"?"
Gu Mo blinked his eyes, then nodded with a wise-looking expression.
Yatsugaya Miko opened her mouth, momentarily unsure of what to say, just seeing the Fox Immortal in front of her wave his hand and disappear immediately.
It really was...
So free in coming and going, leaving with such grace...
The girl smiled bitterly and then looked at the contract in her hand, falling into deep thought. Such a carefree and open approach, it seems trustworthy, but should she really consult legal services? Wouldn’t she be viewed as crazy?
......
...
Night falls.
Strategy Room headquarters building.
"Did the suspected Root of Evil Spirits, Tamamo no Mae, appear... This is really..."
Looking at the task report in hand, the dignified mature beauty sitting in the wheelchair, Director Jinguji Ayame, rubbed her forehead in distress and pressed her temples.
What is this all about...
An apparent gigantic disaster, nipped in the bud; this is certainly worth celebrating. However, she hadn’t yet had time to let out a sigh of relief before the submitted report caused her scalp to explode, and her whole being felt uneasy.
"It’s only suspected, it shouldn’t be this... Besides, only Miss Yellow Springs and that girl from the Togami Family saw it at the time, it’s still a one-sided story for now."
The assistant girl behind quietly spoke, offering comfort.
"But Yellow Springs wouldn’t lie, and Little Kagura also, if they both said they saw the Nine-tailed Fox, then this matter is quite credible..." Jinguji Ayame shook her head repeatedly, "This could definitely cause a major upheaval in the Mind Industry."
"Then do you think it’s true...?" the assistant girl asked.
"..."
"..."
Jinguji Ayame was silent for a moment, then shook her head: "I’m not sure, but... I think it might be the Killing Stone’s power resurfacing, just like Yellow Springs’ judgment. If it fully regathers, it could indeed be the day of Tamamo no Mae’s revival; we must guard against this, no matter what."
She looked toward the city night scene outside the building, lights shining brightly, the streams flowing unceasingly—
"Now those Demon Exorcism Families should all be aware of this, if their judgments align with ours, they might try to contact that... that Fox Immortal; whether this is a good thing or not remains unknown..."
Just like the conversation in the helicopter before, neither noticed an extra presence in the room.
Gu Mo listened to their conversation while flipping through the documents on Jinguji Ayame’s desk, swiftly comparing them, searching for any missing data or information not included in his settings, checking where it all went wrong, causing the version numbers to suddenly not match...
—Is it the concept of Human Evil?
—Or a birth method similar to Goyanskaya’s?
Given the existing concept of natural spirits, plus the power of his thoughts, did the world replicate a spirit base based on the legend of Tamamo no Mae?