Page 53
Page 53
Strolling down the street, Dou Tang held Huai Yin's hand. The early autumn sun was still a bit hot, so Huai Yin put on a sun hat.
“It’s a bit boring being with me, why don’t you go up the mountain with them?” Dou Tang suddenly asked.
Huaiyin took his hand, looked at a cake shop on the street, and stopped.
"Brother, I want to eat cake."
Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, Dou Tang simply stopped asking and pulled her towards the cake shop.
Huaiyin pursed her lips, hiding her dissatisfaction under the brim of her hat so that Doutang wouldn't see it.
It was this attitude of endlessly fulfilling her demands that made her unhappy.
The girl's emotions slowly accumulated, endlessly.
Chapter 100: Overture on the Beach
Daily life with Dou Tang is undoubtedly boring. He is a living doll who will respond to any request you make to him, but sometimes he is surprisingly awkward.
Huaiyin no longer asked for anything more, but simply let the dissatisfaction in her heart swell freely without showing it.
The two went to a street corner to eat cake and drink milk tea, and then went to an old kimono shop on the street to buy a kimono. After all, Dou Tang didn't want Huai Yin to miss the rare temple fair these few days. Since they decided to go to the temple fair, how could they not have a kimono?
When they moved, almost everything in the house was left in the sealed-off attic of the old house, including Huaiyin's original kimono.
The kimono she chose this time was pale yellow. Huaiyin tried it on briefly, and although her hair and other things weren't styled, the way her sleeves fluttered like flowers when she spun around in place made Doutang make up her mind.
Clutching the kimono bag happily, Huaiyin smiled broadly, but muttered to herself, "Really, brother, it's too expensive... It's unnecessary."
“There are temple fairs in Tokyo during the Lunar New Year, but I wasn’t in the mood to go then, so I’m just making up for it now,” Dou Tang replied casually.
Looking at the cheerful and lively girl beside him, Dou Tang lowered his eyes slightly, seemingly lost in thought.
After wandering around for a while, the two arrived at the seaside again. Looking north, they could see the aquarium, and in front of them was a tourist beach in Kamogawa City called Maehara Beach.
It was already the off-season for tourism, and since Kamogawa City isn't a well-known resort destination, there weren't many people at the beaches.
Aside from a few people enjoying the sun, there was only one small group of people closely gathered on the beach taking pictures of something.
I spotted Chinatsu Kume in the crowd at a glance. Her long, wavy, golden hair, reminiscent of a gyaru (gal) style, was very eye-catching and seemed to glow in the sunlight.
"Shall we go take a look?" Dou Tang suggested.
Although Huaiyin was very curious, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, she still said, "Isn't that a bit inappropriate? Kume-nee seems to be busy."
Just as Dou Tang nodded and was about to leave, Kume Chinatsu, who was in the distance, noticed the two people standing on the beach. She quickly called for a stop, pushed through the crowd, and ran towards Dou Tang.
Standing on the beach, she waved to Tou Tang on the high seawall and said, "Kiryu-kun! Kaine-chan! Do you want to come and have some fun?"
She stood on the beach, bouncing around, her two round, smooth breasts, several sizes larger than Lu Zizhen's, jiggling, making anyone who saw her unable to help but...feel awe.
However, Dou Tang has a lot of self-control, after all, he sleeps with Huaiyin every day and is often teased by Lu Zizhen.
Huaiyin was somewhat tempted and glanced at Doutang.
Dou Tang nodded, then said to Kume Chinatsu, "Kume-kun, are we not bothering you?"
"No, no!" Chinatsu Kume waved her hand: "Come on down and play!"
So they couldn't refuse, and the brother and sister went into the beach. And because of Chinatsu Kume, they didn't have to pay.
Huaiyin took off her sandals and held them in her hand. The sea breeze blew by, and she followed Kume Chinatsu with a smile, holding the sandals to cover her head with her baseball cap.
Dou Tang rolled up his trousers, stepped barefoot onto the beach, and the three of them slowly walked towards the photography location.
Chinatsu Kume, pulling Aine along, bowed slightly and said, "Sorry to keep you all waiting. These are my two friends... I'd like them to have some fun here too, is that alright?"
The person in charge here was a middle-aged woman. She was smoking a cigarette, her long hair was tied up, and she had a beauty mark on the corner of her mouth.
She looked Dou Tang up and down, her eyes brightening: "Qianxia, your male...male friend has quite a physique!"
Dou Tang frowned. In the past, he was the one who looked at others, but now the middle-aged woman was looking at him in the same way.
But what's even stranger is that although the woman in front of him looks spirited, she has faint dark circles under her eyes that she can't hide, and she exudes a decadent aura, accompanied by a faint resentment.
You can tell he's someone with a story.
But the resentment was so faint that Dou Tang didn't even bother to look at it, and out of respect for Kume Chika, he let her scrutinize him.
The woman looked at him with increasing delight, her eyes filled with surprise. She even walked up to him and looked him up and down. The not-too-pungent smell of the woman's cigarette slowly entered his nostrils.
She asked excitedly, "Young man, are you interested in earning some extra money?"
"No."
She paused for a moment, then raised her eyebrows incredulously: "Uh..."
Then, taking a step back and thinking for a moment, she spoke again: "I didn't explain myself clearly. What I meant was, would you like to appear in an advertisement? I think you're quite suitable to be a model... Just once is fine, you can get the advertising fee and maybe even become famous, what do you say?"
After saying that, she turned around and looked at Chinatsu Kume. At that moment, Chinatsu was hugging Kaine, and the two girls were playing together.
"Chika, come over here and talk to your friend. That way she won't have to find another boyfriend later. Your classmate has a great figure!"
Another troublesome matter... Dou Tang sighed inwardly. He was clearly a very pure person, but all sorts of trivial matters kept coming his way.
“Tsukishima-nee…” Kume Chinatsu pouted, “Kiryu-kun is someone who hates trouble, he wouldn’t like being famous.”
However, she tilted her head and thought about it for a moment, seemingly seriously considering the idea of Dou Tang being her male companion for filming an advertisement, and suddenly her mind started wandering.
Such a cool and tough man, it would be great if he debuted with me, right?
A tall, yakuza-style delinquent and a charming, cute, gyaru-style idol girl... this combination sounds really exciting!
Huaiyin was also excited because she was undoubtedly the one who most wanted to see her brother in the limelight. To put it bluntly, she wished Dou Tang would become a huge star. There was no other reason than that she felt Dou Tang was excellent enough.
Dou Tang frowned. He saw the excitement in Huaiyin's eyes and said somewhat helplessly, "If it's just once, it should be okay."
Kume Chika's manager, Tsukishima, smiled contentedly and said, "Don't worry, young man, adults don't do things that are endlessly nagging. Just think of this as a rare opportunity..."
She pointed a finger at Dou Tang's chest: "That was a rare experience."
Just as Dou Tang was about to nod in agreement, a strange sound came from a very far place.
The sound was trembling and drawn-out, eerie and piercing, like a mixture of air raid sirens and police sirens, sending a chill down one's spine.
Dou Tang turned around, squinting at the gap between the buildings. Behind the high slope and the power lines, the distant mountains presented an eerie deep green.
Some flocks of birds emerged from the deep green, startled, and flew high into the sky.
Chapter 101 Battle at the Shrine
Ten minutes ago.
Priest Ito sat upright in the hall.
In the center, Ryūko Sada sat opposite him, and behind the Ito priest was a strange statue.
The statue was not of any common deity, but rather a majestic wild boar.
After dealing with Aida Gaku last night, Priest Ito found Jiko Sada and asked her to meet him at the shrine where Priest Ito works.
The shrine was filled with the fresh smell of new wood paint, and it was so clean and tidy that it was outrageous, as if it had just been built yesterday. Only the stone boar statue exuded an ancient aura.
This shrine is called Ito Shrine. It was built just a few months ago. According to Priest Ito, he returned to Kamogawa City from abroad a year ago. The old shrine was demolished and this new shrine was built. It was completed just a month ago.
The deity enshrined at Ito Shrine comes from a local legend in Kamogawa City. The legend tells of a gigantic wild boar that once ran all the way from Hokkaido to Kamogawa City and rested in the mountains of Kamogawa.
After resting, the wild boar let out a loud moo, then charged forward along the valley, clearing a path into the mountains, and rushed directly into the sea from the mouth of Kamo River City, never to return.
Some say that this wild boar originally came from Kamogawa City, but went to Hokkaido for some reason. When it returned to Kamogawa City, it found that everything had changed, so it simply threw itself into the sea and became a god.
This main road later became the main thoroughfare of Kamogawa City, and Ito Shrine was built at the very end of it, backed by mountains. The wild boar enshrined there was also worshipped as a deity and became known as Ito Okami.
The surname Ito is said to have originated from this, but no one knows for sure whether it is true or not.
The shrine was quiet. Priest Ito was making tea for Ryūko Sada in the center of the main hall, but Ryūko Sada clearly wasn't interested.
"Priest Ito, just say it. What is it you want with me?"
The priest, Ito, stirred the dark green tea with a few swirls, remaining silent until he offered a cup of tea to Lu Zizhen. Only then did he slowly speak, "Miss Lu, I called you here to ask you why you intervened to help us."
Lu Zizhen picked up the teacup and blew on it without any regard for her image, but seeing the rising steam, she decided not to drink it yet and replied, "It's nothing, it's just about the money. What, you have a problem with that?"
She frowned. This priest, Ito, was one of the main forces who had sought help from outside before. She heard that he had made a lot of money abroad before returning to Kamogawa City. He not only renovated the shrine that he owned but also called on local exorcists to seek help from outside. He also contributed a large part of the reward this time.
The priest, Ito, remained calm and kind, saying, "Of course I have no objection, but Miss Lu, because of your assertiveness, some exorcists have already returned to Tokyo, which is really not good."
Indeed, Lu Zizhen's domineering presence yesterday had intimidated many people. Some of the exorcists who came here have already set off to return. After all, in their view, since Lu Zizhen was here, they were just there as supporting characters, so they might as well go back.
Lu Zizhen sneered upon hearing this: "What? Are you suggesting that the return journey expenses for those insignificant bystanders will be deducted from my bounty?"
“Miss Lu is joking, how could that be?” Priest Ito smiled gently and continued, “However, my original intention was to gather the strength of everyone to fight against Siren Head. Miss Lu’s strong stance has deprived us of many external support.”
Lu Zizhen squinted: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
She became slightly more wary.
“I wanted to give it a try…” Priest Ito slowly raised his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. His gaze was no longer gentle and languid, but sharp and piercing.
"Let's see if Miss Lu has the ability to defeat Siren Head single-handedly."
Lu Zizhen squinted and slowly put down the cup, the teacup making a soft click as it touched the wooden floor.
This soft sound became the signal that the battle had begun without warning.
"bass!"
With a soft whistling sound, Priest Ito suddenly lashed out with the tea brush in his hand, aiming straight for Ji Zizhen's face!
But Lu Zizhen was also very fast. She leaned back and braced herself with her hands on the ground, bending herself down as far as possible. At the same time, she swung her long legs around the ground, turning from kneeling to outstretched. She kicked one foot at Priest Ito's arm and kicked over the teacup on the ground with the other, spilling the scalding tea at Priest Ito.
Priest Ito quickly withdrew his attack, leaped up from the ground with a spring of his legs, and jumped backward to the foot of the boar statue.
When he looked closely, he found that Lu Zizhen was standing upside down in an extremely seductive pose, her long legs, clad in loose tapered pants, frozen in a split position.
Only after Priest Ito had taken his stance did she smile and slowly retract her legs, then with a flick of her wrists, she lifted herself into the air, completed a mid-air spin, and stood gracefully with her feet together.
She stood with her hands behind her back, a strange smile on her face.
"You're not trying to test me, you want to kill me, right?"
Priest Ito stood rooted to the spot, not daring to make a move, but something behind him trembled, as if a creature was stirring in his shadow.
Lu Zizhen held up her upturned nose, sniffed, and then smiled even more brightly.
"The smell of evil...you're not a simple person either."
Priest Ito regained his composure and stood...
He snapped open his folding fan on the spot, tidied his slightly messy hair, and straightened his tall priest's hat.
"Yes, Miss Lu, I'm sorry, I really did want to kill you."
Lu Zizhen asked with some doubt, "Really? But why would you want to kill me? Hmm?"
Priest Ito stood there in silence for a while, then chuckled and said, "Miss Lu, do you need a reason to kill someone? It's a blessing for everyone to be alive, and death is just a way of washing away the filth."
"But if I had to give a reason, it would be that the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. I'm sorry, but I am that wind."
Lu Zizhen frowned, flicked her hands, and two sword hilts flew out from her sleeves. With another flick, the blades flew out from the hilts. She twirled the swords twice on the spot, and the silver blades transformed into a full moon that spun for a moment before being covered with a faint light.
Priest Ito licked his lips.
No need for further words, Lu Zizhen now just wants to teach this guy a lesson and then force him to tell her why he wanted to kill her.
And Priest Ito...
He is hungry.
He suddenly flicked his fan, and countless black paper figures flew out from the white fan. Those paper figures turned into a torrent and rushed towards Lu Zizhen.
Lu Zizhen suddenly swung his longsword, the two swords striking the air with a clanging sound. The talismans wrapped around the hilts began to glow, and at the same time, bright flames emerged from the two sword blades. He swung them again, and the air was filled with the whistling sound of flames scorching.
Chapter 102 Siren Head Appears
“I have fire, named Haoran Fire, which comes from grass and trees and emerges from mountains and rocks, scorching the wilderness for three thousand miles.”
She murmured softly, her twin swords flashing like two suns, their bright flames slashing at the paper figures that had coalesced into a long snake.
"Huhuhu..."
The flames on the twin swords ignited the paper figures as soon as they touched them, but the long snake also instantly threw down the already lit paper figures. In an instant, the paper figures flew wildly in the turbulent air and scattered into ashes throughout the hall.
Before Lu Zizhen could finish her attack, the long snake began to coil in the air, attacking her relentlessly. Every scale of the snake was the sharp edge of a paper doll, and it was unknown where these paper dolls came from.
Amidst the flying black paper figures, Lu Zizhen, dressed in black, began to dance.
Her wrists flipped, her steps were light and agile, her waist never bent, her dance was unique and gorgeous, and the spinning double swords became her dance partners, the roar of fire and the soft ringing of swords played a song.
69novels