novelnext Chapter 240 238: Evil Woman
Chapter 240 238: Evil Woman
The Kuki family is a long-standing lineage of shrine maidens, one that has taken pride in serving Narukami for generations.
However, in this generation, the Kuki family produced a rebel.
After her older sister, Miyuki, joined the Grand Shrine, the young Kuki Shinobu was also sent there at an early age as an apprentice. At first, everything was novel to the young girl. But the tedious, never-ending rules soon made her suffer.
How many days of fasting were required to prove one's sincerity; how many times one had to bathe before it was no longer considered a profanation of divine power... even the posture while standing, the tone of voice while speaking, and the exact number of steps required to walk from the prayer hall to the Sacred Sakura Tree were calculated to the millimeter.
In the beginning, she followed these rules to the letter. But as the days passed, Shinobu realized time and again that many of these rules were not as "invincible" as her predecessors claimed, and the job of a shrine maiden was not as indispensable as her family insisted.
If that was the case... then perhaps the rule that being born into the Kuki family meant becoming a shrine maiden should also be reconsidered?
Rules may have their reasons, but treating the rules themselves as the ultimate truth was, in her eyes, truly falling behind the times. One day, having reached a sudden epiphany, she sought out her sister.
"Sister, human patience has its limits. I have learned one thing from this brief career as a shrine maiden: the more a person follows the rules, the more likely they are to develop a rebellious streak, leading to the opposite result. Unless, of course, one breaks tradition."
"What do you mean? Shinobu, what are you talking about?"
"I'm quitting being a shrine maiden, sister!"
That was the day Kuki Shinobu left everything related to the shrine behind. However, she soon discovered that her bag, which was supposed to only hold towels, contained something extra. That something was a gleaming Vision.
That was the story of how she obtained her Vision.
As for why the topic of Visions was being discussed now, it all started with tonight's roasted Lavender Melons.
"Isn't this just bullying an honest man?!"
With a loud thud, Arataki Itto slammed his fist onto a nearby rock. It was lucky that no one was around this late at night; otherwise, some strange new rumors would surely be spreading through Inazuma City by morning.
Just moments ago, he had noticed that the Vision on Kuki Shinobu's person was gone. Upon asking, he learned that because the Kuki family were hereditary servants of Narukami, they had considerable influence within official circles.
Specifically, they had a deep connection with that "Kujou Tengu" who was in charge of the Vision Hunt Decree. According to Shinobu, it seemed she and the General had known each other for a long time.
To avoid making things difficult for the Kujou Tengu, Shinobu had secretly and voluntarily surrendered her Vision.
"Boss, it's just a Vision. It's no big deal," Shinobu said calmly, turning the Lavender Melons roasting by the fire.
To her, a Vision was just another certificate or permit in her vast collection of licenses. The only difference was that it was a gift from a god.
Even if it were plated in gold, it wasn't a life-altering loss to her. Most things in life could be handled without a Vision, and the truly difficult problems weren't things a Vision could easily solve anyway.
Rather than getting angry over this, she preferred to plan tomorrow's schedule. After all, the Arataki Gang's hard-earned event funds had just been entirely wiped out to pay for the "fat fish" they owed *that woman*. They needed to figure out how they were going to eat for the next few days; they couldn't exactly survive on roasted Lavender Melons forever.
"Outrageous! How can you say it's no big deal? First mine, and now yours? Isn't this just 'providing charcoal in the snow'?"
Itto stomped his foot onto the back of Ushi, who was nearby, fuming so hard that smoke practically came out of his ears.
"B-Boss... I don't think you're using that idiom correctly. 'Providing charcoal in the snow' isn't what you say in this situation," Mamoru, who had a bit more of a literary background, weakly raised his hand to correct him.
"Then... 'adding flowers to a brocade'?"
"Forget it. Whatever makes you happy."
Mamoru let out a silent sigh. Ever since seeing how cool Shinobu looked when she used idioms, the Boss had started down this path of no return. But compared to Shinobu, the Boss's usage was... problematic.
Who says "great kindness needs no thanks" while apologizing to someone? And who says "winning people over with virtue" while in the middle of a fistfight? ...Actually, that last one kind of made sense for him.
"Losing the Vision has no effect on me. But you, Boss—don't you go looking for trouble. Do you think it's easy for me to bail you out?"
"Uh... isn't it just the length of a nap?" Itto asked tentatively, scratching his head.
It was true. In the past, every time he was locked up for brawling, he just had to lie down and sleep, and Shinobu would punctually appear before him to lead him out.
"While you're sleeping, I have to prepare evidence, pull strings, find people... forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you." Seeing Itto's blank expression, Shinobu knew that no matter how clearly she explained it, he wouldn't get it. She shut her mouth and went back to roasting melons.
Normally, they would be making a scene... er, performing gang activities in Hanamizaka right now. But as soon as Itto entered Inazuma City, he had started clamoring about causing trouble at the Tenryou Commission.
Furthermore, on the day Itto went missing, he had been completely hoodwinked by a fellow called "Mr. Bai" and nearly trespassed into Tenshukaku.
If not for *that woman's* intervention, he would have likely spent at least three years in a cell—and that was only if Shinobu put her full effort into bailing him out. Otherwise, he might have been locked away for a lifetime.
So, during this sensitive period, she had no choice but to lead the Arataki Gang to take refuge near Konda Village. She planned to see if they could help the local villagers with farmwork to earn some Mora until the heat died down.
"Speaking of which, that Mr. Bai is truly an extraordinary man!"
"Mr. Bai" was the title Itto had bestowed upon Bai Luo after eating his fish. Whether it was the man's grilling technique or his profound way of speaking, Itto was deeply impressed. He had even developed the feeling that calling the man "brother" would be an insult.
He recalled meeting an old man named Yasuda near Konda Village once. The old man was always talking about a ronin in maple-red clothes, and every time he mentioned him, Yasuda would say he was a "truly extraordinary man." So, Itto simply applied the old man's phrasing to Bai Luo.
"Yes, an 'extraordinary' man indeed," Shinobu muttered. To dare steal fish from Tenshukaku—and the fish raised by that woman no less—the man was certainly a freak. At this rate, he'd probably end up trying to peek at that woman in the bath one day.
"But Boss, you absolutely must not hang around him too much, or you'll run into terrible luck."
Having spent so much time with Itto, Shinobu could translate his nonsense quite well. Although eight out of ten words out of her Boss's mouth were exaggerations, it wasn't hard to glean from his snippets that this "Mr. Bai" was likely a person with a personality as wicked as that woman's.
The best way to avoid being schemed against by people like that was to have nothing to do with them. Otherwise... every time she thought of that woman's twisted sense of humor, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Even now, she had the unsettling feeling that she was being watched by that woman.
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