He had finally verified the result.
Rom had thought he would be ecstatic. He clearly wanted to let out that wild, triumphant laugh of the ancient proverb: "If a man hears the Way in the morning, he can die content in the evening."
However, instead of triumph, the crushing sorrow of "not recognizing the true face of Mount Tai" clung to him tightly, suffocating his joy.
'I was wrong. I was really, truly wrong...'
A profound feeling of remorse, completely out of his control, made him burst into tears. He wept like a child. After crying enough to drain himself of adrenaline, he seemed to have lost his soul. He remained slumped on the ground, staring blankly at the horrifying, squirming scenery outside the window.
'So beautiful...' he thought, a hysterical edge to his mind. 'That is exactly what I had dreamed of seeing all my life...'
Because the horrific monsters proved that in this mundane world, besides science and cold logic, true mysticism actually existed. Rom had always thought that he and Granny Mitsue were fundamentally no different—that both were just liars, only separated by their level of theatrical skill and target audience.
But he was wrong. She was not a liar. Only he was.
In his daze, he unconsciously put his hand against the cold windowpane, as if that "beautiful" eldritch creature soaring through the sky was close enough for him to caress it. As he reached out, Rom saw the wooden prayer beads wrapped tightly around his right wrist.
The prayer beads were faintly shining with a warm, golden light.
'This is…'
A sudden tightness gripped his heart. He seemed to recall a vital piece of lore.
"Opening one's eyes" isn't necessarily a good thing…
According to Granny Mitsue's strictest teachings, once one's spiritual eyes are violently opened and "spiritual vision" is fully awakened, mortals can see things they absolutely shouldn't see. And compared to ordinary people who are safely "blind," those with spiritual vision are far more likely to "become connected" with those dark entities. They act as beacons in the dark.
Therefore, among true professionals, there's a grim, common saying: Those with spiritual vision tend to have very short lifespans.
'Sure enough…'
A complex expression, a painful mixture of laughter and tears, crossed Rom's face.
'Was I the only one who was lying all this time…? Teacher… You're still the same strict teacher…'
Even though this unworthy, cynical disciple of hers had parted ways with her years ago to chase fame and money, he was still being physically protected by her parting gift. This was truly…
Shaking his head, after a long while, Rom's mood finally calmed down considerably. The golden light of the beads kept the monsters from noticing his gaze.
He had indeed "opened his eyes" today. Opened his eyes in every literal and metaphorical sense of the word.
Following Granny Mitsue's old remedies, he scrambled to his feet, took a few specific dried leaves from his kitchen altar, and rubbed them vigorously over his eyelids. The burning, stinging sensation immediately subsided. When he tentatively looked out the window again, the sky was back to its ordinary, overcast gloom. The monsters were gone from his sight.
'Are these ancient methods actually real...?'
He chuckled softly. He didn't even know why he was laughing anymore. Perhaps he was laughing at his own lifelong ignorance? Or perhaps at his years of cynical struggle within the Buddhist path?
But there was one thing he couldn't quite understand. He had personally practiced and experienced many of the things Granny Mitsue taught him for years, but he had never achieved a breakthrough. Why now?
'Ah, that's it.' Rom's expression shifted to sudden realization.
How could an ordinary person succeed so easily on their own? Even Granny Mitsue and the ancient ancestors of the Busujima family emphasized that achieving this connection was incredibly rare. Moreover, the three girls—Yukino, Miko, and Saeko—must have acted as a massive supernatural catalyst.
Rom had some solid guesses forming in his mind. If it weren't for their overwhelming karmic web crossing his path, he might still be a blind charlatan.
'Wait!' His brows suddenly furrowed.
He thought of the little girl with the dark circles who claimed to have "spiritual vision." And the lethal interpretation he had obtained from her tarot cards.
'This is bad. Those three... or perhaps two of them, might encounter some truly horrific things very soon. They might even lose their lives.'
A slight hesitation appeared on his face. He knew the terrifying truth of the underworld now, and he naturally understood the lethal danger involved. Was it strictly necessary for him to get involved in this mess?
Instinctively fiddling with the glowing prayer beads on his wrist, Rom remained silent for a long time.
Then, he made a firm decision.
'Perhaps I should offer some assistance... Maybe my teacher is watching me to see what I do with this truth...'
Tokyo: Suginami Ward (The Mizunotsuki Residence)
"So, she's getting old and starting to reminisce about her wayward disciple," Seiran Minazuki murmured.
Sitting in his luxurious study, he listened noncommittally to the psychic echoes of Granny Mitsue's "reminder" triggering on Rom's wrist.
The old lady was quite kind to leave a protective charm on a fraud. Minazuki, of course, wouldn't be so ungrateful as to completely exclude this unexpectedly delightful pawn from his board. Humans aren't unfeeling plants or stones; how could they exist without emotional attachments? Minazuki himself needed deep indulgence to anchor his own fading humanity.
Besides, Rom was quite suitable as a grounded guide for lower-level superhumans. After all, in the supernatural realm, there are macroscopic, world-ending powers, and naturally, there must also be microscopic ants to marvel at them.
Gurgle...
Eri Kisaki, her elegant hair styled up perfectly, skillfully tidied herself. Her sharp, intelligent eyes sparkled as she looked up at her Master.
Eri was very proactive today. Because she needed his divine "help."
Of course, every woman in the room had similar, competing thoughts. Mrs. Yukinoshita, Haruno Yukinoshita, Ai Hayasaka, Sae Chabashira, Sayuri Sawamura, and Eriri Sawamura.
Yes. Minazuki had thrown a huge, impromptu private party in his sanctum.
To be honest, the neat, compliant arrangement of such powerful, proud women gave Minazuki an immense sense of accomplishment.
"It's not time yet," Minazuki said smoothly, waving a hand.
Hearing this, Eri and the others couldn't help but feel a little flutter of competitive excitement. Not time yet meant that when the time finally came, they would naturally get their desired share of his Yang energy.
Mrs. Yukinoshita blinked her bright, calculating eyes from the corner. She didn't think the Yukinoshita faction was currently qualified to demand much. Because she and Haruno had made a severe miscalculation during the Onmyo-ryo incident. So far, she hadn't found a political way to make amends with a "great achievement" for her Lord.
Therefore, Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno were currently very obedient, serving quietly and diligently without saying a word to overstep their bounds.
They were not the same arrogant women they used to be. How glamorous and untouchable they were before! With the Black Crow by their side, they could recklessly reach into the properties of other powerful elite figures without fear of retaliation. Not anymore.
The current leading "mistress" of the inner circle was Eri Kisaki. She was highly intelligent, extremely methodical, and ruthlessly tactful in her actions. Coupled with her political allies—the Sawamuras—her actions were flawless, leaving the Yukinoshita women with no opportunities to seize power. No wonder she was Tokyo's most famous undefeated lawyer…
Eventually, the party wound down. Eri Kisaki and the mature women went about their respective business, cleaning up and leaving the sanctum.
Except for a certain blonde, tsundere loser: Eriri.
She crossed her arms, tilted her head, and gave a coquettish snort, her twin tails bouncing. She still had several doujinshi plots to finish drawing…
Naturally, she needed Minazuki's physical help to properly reference and fill in the anatomy for the plots. Because the protagonist of her wildly successful new doujinshi was modeled exactly after Minazuki.
Sometimes Eriri would think about random, spiteful things regarding her online critics. For example, she could clearly perform this incredibly demanding physical pose right now, yet some anonymous haters online dared to say her doujinshi anatomy was "unrealistic." For example, the infamous "high-altitude object throwing" pose was supposedly too difficult to draw realistically. Well, she'd just do it herself as a live reference, since most ordinary people couldn't do it anyway.
And for example… twin tails really did make an excellent steering wheel…
After those bad, manipulative women—including her own mother, Sayuri—went downstairs, Eriri, twirling her pleated skirt and rolling her eyes affectionately, snuggled deeply into his arms.
Minazuki knew this girl always liked to be fully enveloped and held tightly while talking. He also eagerly anticipated her hesitant, stammering words when she tried to act tough. It was just a wicked sense of humor on his part.
What an obedient child…
Minazuki greatly admired Eriri's muffled groan, her flushed face, and her classic look of tsundere "unwillingness."
But playfulness aside, while absentmindedly stroking Eriri's hair, Minazuki began to ponder his next major geopolitical move.
It was time for him, acting as this supreme "superhuman," to make his physical presence felt by the broader Japanese government. But the precise timing of his public appearance needed to be carefully considered.
After all, why should a God personally intervene in the petty, street-level affairs of lower-level superhumans and ghosts? The overwhelming prestige of a top-level entity needed to be maintained with theatrical perfection…
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