Chapter 21: Commissioned Mission

Hey hey hey, who are you calling a pervert!

I already said this manga isn’t mine. I just happened to be holding it for someone else—probably. Maybe. Okay fine, I picked it up out of curiosity, but that doesn’t make me a degenerate!

Even if there’s a pervert here, it should be the author who drew something like this in the first place. Who even thinks of this stuff? The detail, the expressions—what kind of twisted imagination does that take?

And you—yeah, you—who read the whole thing from cover to cover without skipping a single page, even staring at the extras at the end, have no right to call me a pervert!

“Hmph, big hentai!” Gabriel crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks in exaggerated disgust.

Kouya still wanted to explain, but Gabriel had already turned her face away, flipping her hair with mock pride, refusing to talk to him anymore.

“Fine, I didn’t feel like talking to that idiot angel who takes joy in poking people anyway…” Kouya muttered, slumping in his seat. He thought about continuing the argument, but the effort seemed pointless. He sighed and went back to pretending to pay attention in class.

Before long, it was after school.

The jerk Fatty glanced at Kouya with his beady little eyes, gave a greasy grin that made his round face wobble, and before Kouya could even scold him, bolted out of the classroom like a rat escaping a trap. The room was still packed, students chatting and packing up, so Kouya could only grit his teeth, stuff the manga deep into his backpack, and quietly slip out.

As he stepped through the school gates, the orange glow of sunset stretched across the road. The moment he took a breath of fresh air, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

“Hello?” Kouya answered.

“It’s me, Kouya-kun.” The voice that came through the receiver was calm and elegant, soft as falling cherry blossoms, each word carrying a sense of refinement. “I just received a new commission request. Would Kouya-kun be interested in joining me?”

That graceful, gentle voice belonged to none other than the shrine maiden from Chiba Shrine.

Kouya didn’t hesitate for even a second. “I’m on my way.”

…

Twenty minutes later.

Kouya arrived at the Chiba Shrine, the setting sun glinting off the shrine’s vermilion torii gate. Outside the entrance sat a sleek black luxury sedan. He didn’t know what brand it was, but even someone like him could tell it screamed money and sophistication.

“onii-chan, you’re here!” A cheerful voice echoed from inside the gate.

“Afternoon, Hinata.” Kouya smiled faintly as he saw the shrine maiden’s younger sister, Chiba Hinata, waving energetically.

“Good afternoon, Kouya-kun.” The shrine maiden herself appeared soon after, wearing her signature red and white robes, her steps graceful, her demeanor serene. She looked like a living painting—cherry blossoms floating on a tranquil stream, soft and composed. “I’ll explain the commission on the way. Let’s head out.”

She turned to her sister. “Hinata, stay home. If you’re hungry, eat what’s in the fridge. Don’t go wandering outside, alright?”

Chiba Hinata pouted slightly but nodded. “Got it, sis. I’ll be good.”

The driver, a man in a perfectly tailored black suit and dark sunglasses, opened the car door for them. When he noticed Kouya’s school uniform and youthful face, the corner of his lips twitched slightly in amusement—but he remained professional and silent, starting the engine smoothly.

The car interior was spacious, the leather seats soft and scented faintly of new upholstery. Kouya sat beside the shrine maiden, while the small catgirl shikigami, Rina, perched quietly at her side. She had cast a concealment spell—ordinary humans couldn’t see her at all.

“This time, the client who commissioned us is Aoba Onsen Resort…” The shrine maiden began softly, her tone gentle yet firm, explaining the case in detail.

“The resort is located deep in a mountain village about fifty li away from the city, surrounded by rivers and cherry trees. It’s a place that promotes relaxation and luxury hot springs.”

“Three months ago, it was newly completed and quickly gained popularity—crowds flocked in, reviews were glowing, and profits skyrocketed.”

“But two months ago, everything changed. The manager got a strange complaint. A guest claimed that the water in their private hot spring had turned bright red—as if filled with blood. But when the staff arrived, there wasn’t a single trace of it. The water was crystal clear.”

“They assumed the guests were imagining things, but the guests swore it was real. They checked out that very night, pale-faced and shaking.”

Kouya listened silently, resting his chin on his hand as the car hummed down the road. The shrine maiden’s voice flowed like calm water.

She smiled slightly. “Of course, if it had ended there, they wouldn’t have hired us.”

“After that, more and more reports came in. Lights flickering for no reason, corridors that seemed to stretch endlessly, elevators that suddenly displayed negative floors, glass marbles rolling across the top floor at midnight, and even soft weeping echoes in the dark.”

“Security was doubled, patrols increased, but no trace of human tampering was ever found. The guests grew fewer, the revenue plummeted, and the air of the resort turned cold and uneasy.”

The shrine maiden folded her hands neatly on her lap. “Our job is to find the cause behind all these disturbances—and eliminate it.”

Kouya nodded firmly. “No problem.”

She glanced at him meaningfully. “Just remember—other exorcists have already tried. They all failed. Some even left looking terrified. We should be careful.”

Kouya smirked. “Careful, huh? If I take this seriously, even I scare myself.”

He leaned back, gazing out the window with a lazy grin. To him, the danger didn’t matter. As long as it paid, he was satisfied.

His eyes drifted toward the catgirl beside the shrine maiden.

Ever since he’d accidentally grabbed Rina’s tail last time, she hadn’t said a single word to him. Now, just being near him made her fidget. Her cheeks turned pink as she clutched her skirt, sneaking quick glances at him with those big feline eyes before quickly looking away.

Kouya couldn’t resist grinning. He widened his eyes in mock menace.

Rina froze like a startled kitten, tail puffing up, and immediately buried her face against the shrine maiden’s chest for safety.

Kouya chuckled quietly. “Hahaha… so easy to tease.”

…

Half an hour later.

The car glided to a stop at the entrance of the Aoba Hot Spring Resort. The evening sky had darkened, and warm lights illuminated the modern, wooden architecture.

A woman in her twenties approached with confident strides. She wore a fitted business suit, her black-rimmed glasses accentuating her sharp beauty. A small beauty mark near her lips added a hint of allure that made her seem both professional and mysterious.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Hirata Sachiko, the manager here,” she greeted with a bright, practiced smile.

“Nice to meet you, Manager Hirata,” the shrine maiden replied with her usual grace.

“Just call me Sachiko,” Hirata said warmly. “You must be tired from the trip. Let’s have a meal first, then I’ll show you around.”

Her tone carried the subtle charm of someone used to hospitality—smooth, sincere, and confident. She didn’t dismiss Kouya just because of his school uniform, either. Her professionalism made her seem both approachable and competent.

They entered the resort together. Though it was still early evening, Kouya noticed the emptiness immediately. The lobby echoed faintly, and only a handful of guests could be seen in the distance. The silence was unnerving.

At the banquet hall, they were served a lavish meal—steaming dishes, fragrant rice, and glistening sashimi laid out beautifully. Hirata joined them, pouring tea and chatting with easy humor. Even the usually reserved shrine maiden laughed a few times.

Between bites, Hirata recounted the resort’s troubles again, filling in small details—the timing of incidents, which rooms were affected, and how the staff was beginning to quit out of fear.

“…I heard that Miss Ruri and your grandfather are both highly respected in your field,” Hirata said sincerely. “That’s why I knew you were the right ones for this.”

Kouya finally understood. So that’s why people treated Chiba Ruri—barely twenty years old—as someone with authority. Her family’s lineage must have been full of powerful onmyoji.

The shrine maiden nodded politely. “A promise made must be kept. Please rest assured, Miss Sachiko—we’ll treat this with utmost seriousness.”

Hirata smiled and dabbed her lips with a napkin. “Then, shall we tour the grounds?”

“Of course.”

The resort’s beauty truly stood out—arched bridges over trickling streams, sakura petals drifting in the air, lanterns glowing softly by the paths, and the faint scent of minerals from the hot springs.

As the sky deepened to indigo, they passed several open-air baths where steam coiled upward like ghosts under the moonlight. The once-luxurious atmosphere now carried a strange melancholy.

By the time they finished their tour, the last of the sunset had vanished.

“The incidents usually occur at night,” Hirata explained, her tone dropping slightly. “Please rest for now. I’ll check on you in the morning.”

The rooms were cozy and traditional, with tatami mats and shoji doors. Kouya’s was conveniently next to the shrine maiden’s.

As the night deepened, a quiet stillness fell over the resort.

Kouya sat cross-legged on his futon, reading that same erotic manga with a so-called ‘critical attitude,’ occasionally grumbling about unrealistic proportions. Then, without warning, the air shifted.

A cold wind swept through the window, the paper doors rattling softly.

The sound outside twisted into a wailing murmur—the kind that made your skin crawl. It wasn’t just the wind anymore. It was like voices whispering in the dark, crying faintly between gusts.

Kouya looked up slowly, the pages of the manga fluttering in the chill.

“Mm… so it’s starting, huh?”

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