Chapter 147: Exorcism!
Luke opened the files and looked through them again.
Most involved abnormalities around the city, and judging by the dates, many had been piling up for quite some time. The files had even helpfully listed the payment for each case.
Since ordinary people had difficulty observing evil spirits, and the spirits themselves rarely remained fixed in one place, many cases had simply been delayed.
Of course, it might also be because most victims were people dissatisfied with life who had already lost the will to keep living, so nobody paid much attention.
The fact that these cases had now been compiled and handed to Luke was probably one result of Kasumizuki's endless meetings lately.
"So, are you two coming?"
Luke placed the files before Miko and Yuria.
"These normally come with payment. A single case is around ¥250,000, sometimes several times that amount."
"If an exorcism tool is involved, the reward should be even higher."
"Of course!"
Yuria immediately nodded.
She even pulled out her little notebook, which contained locations she had identified over the past few days as potentially supernatural.
She intended to compare them.
Luke had already expected that from her, so he turned toward Miko.
"Hmm… I'll go too."
Miko smiled.
"I can't exactly let Yuria take risks alone."
She brushed her hair aside and added, "Besides, I'd like to earn some spending money too. Mom has to support the family by herself, and that's hard."
Ever since her father passed away, the household income had depended entirely on her mother.
Their savings were enough to support Miko and her younger brother Kyousuke through school until they became independent.
Still, if she could earn money while accompanying Sensei and Yuria on exorcisms, she was willing to do it.
"Then it's settled."
Luke nodded and turned toward Kasumizuki, who had no intention of transforming any more items today.
"Should I leave these things here or take them home?"
"If carrying them doesn't bother you, take them."
"Then I'll leave them here."
After stealing three iced coffees, Luke stepped beneath the blazing sun and searched for the nearest incident location.
"Honestly, I'm not very enthusiastic about this kind of work…"
"Hopefully we actually find something."
When Luke had first entered the exorcist profession, official agencies had similar bounty-style intelligence on evil spirits.
However, those reports did not come directly from victims and were rarely collected immediately after an incident.
As a result, Luke often traveled to the listed locations only to find absolutely nothing.
It was nowhere near as reliable as accepting direct civilian requests and performing on-site exorcism inspections.
"Still… remember this."
Luke confirmed their first target and handed the files to Miko.
"You are not allowed to act independently when I'm not around. Got it?"
His warning was aimed especially at Niguredo Yuria, who desperately wanted to become a powerful exorcist.
"Got it!"
Miko answered immediately.
Yuria looked puzzled.
"Why? Didn't you say before that we already have enough ability to handle evil spirits independently?"
She paused.
Then her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Could there be some legendary evil yokai?"
"Like if we accidentally break a seal, a demon gets released, destroys the city, and causes humanity to go extinct—mmph!"
"What nonsense are you imagining?!"
Laughing helplessly, Luke twisted Yuria's head from side to side.
The mushroom-decorated hair tie on her head swung with the movement.
Yuria's head was surprisingly springy, becoming round beneath his hands.
Miko laughed at Yuria angrily pushing his hand away.
"Then, Sensei… why?"
"Safety is part of it."
Luke opened the map app on his phone.
"But more importantly…"
"Don't let someone skim money off your rewards."
Mm.
He was referring to the miko.
Luke had once naively believed that truly capable religious professionals had no worldly desires.
He later learned they were greedier than anyone.
...
Luke wandered through the streets with the two girls, searching for the evil spirits described in the files.
However, after checking several nearby incident sites, they found absolutely nothing.
Eventually, they entered a deserted alley where the scorching sunlight was finally blocked.
Miko, who had dressed lightly for the heat, released a relieved breath.
This weather was unbearable.
"By the way, that old man isn't human, right?"
Yuria pointed into the shadows.
An elderly figure stood there, surrounded by faint traces of elusive black energy.
The two girls with Yin-Yang Eyes stared at the ominous humanoid figure and had already concluded it was an evil spirit.
'Finally found one?'
After walking around uselessly for so long, Yuria became excited and prepared to take out her exorcism tool.
"He isn't human, but we probably don't need to bother him."
Luke glanced over and immediately reached a conclusion.
"Eh?"
Yuria tilted her little head in confusion.
At that moment, the elderly spirit turned and looked at them.
A trace of puzzlement passed through its eyes.
Seeing that none of them moved, however, it ignored them.
Then it placed its body through a rope hanging from a tree branch and began swaying back and forth in the air.
"Uh… what is he doing?"
Yuria's mouth twitched.
"Why do you care?"
Luke answered directly.
"He's just a spirit body lingering in the human world. He doesn't hurt anyone, so leave him alone."
"Is that really okay?"
Miko asked curiously.
She had naturally asked Luke about such things before and knew that not every spirit was harmful.
However, she had also encountered extremely despicable evil spirits capable of disguising themselves as humans.
Because of that, she still did not know how to deal with the spirit at home that looked like her father.
'Maybe I should find a chance to ask Sensei to come home and identify it.'
Even if it truly was an evil spirit in disguise and had to be destroyed…
Eventually, she needed to make that decision.
"But why is he using his body like a punching bag?"
Yuria remained confused.
"Is it that legend?"
"The souls of people who die by suicide become fixed to the place of their death and endlessly repeat the way they died, creating a kind of eternal hell for the dead…"
She hesitated.
"Uh… but this doesn't really look like that kind of death."
"There is indeed a story like that."
Luke nodded.
"Supposedly, the souls of people who die by suicide can become trapped within a specific span of time and space, endlessly repeating their own deaths."
"But since becoming an exorcist, I've never personally encountered anything matching that legend."
Luke studied the elderly spirit.
"And from what I can tell, this old man isn't that kind of spirit either."
"My guess is…"
"He's probably entertaining himself."
"All right. Anyway, leave him alone. Let's move to the next location."
"Entertaining himself?"
Even Miko could not stop herself from reacting.
Hanging his own body from a tree for entertainment?
What kind of underworld pastime was that?
Luke helplessly explained.
"Seriously, you two. Stop treating dead people and living people as the same thing."
"The dead no longer have precious physical bodies, and most lack the five senses. Naturally, they don't have many ways to entertain themselves."
"Spirit bodies are basically remnants held together by obsession anyway."
"So nothing they do surprises me anymore."
Just like Granny Nanohana, who wanted Luke to use her memorial tablet like a Poké Ball.
They might not be alive anymore, but they could certainly still find ways to cause trouble.
"Anyway, next location."
Luke beckoned to the two girls.
"Eh? We still have to keep walking?"
Yuria looked toward the brilliant sunlight outside the alley and panted.
"Why are we voluntarily suffering like this…?"
"Wasn't this your own choice, you spoiled little thing?"
"But~ Sensei, it's way too hot."
Miko raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, which remained scorching even as evening approached.
"Why don't we rest for a while?"
Luke thought about it.
He hated heat even more than either of them.
"How about we stop here for today?"
"The newest report in these files is already three days old, so their accuracy is questionable anyway."
"We can investigate them gradually."
"We're stopping already?"
Miko sounded disappointed.
Since leaving home today, she had hardly spent any time alone with Sensei.
Although they did chat on their phones after school every day.
"But I haven't exorcised even one evil spirit yet~"
Yuria sounded equally disappointed.
"We still have tomorrow."
Luke checked the weather.
"The forecast says the temperature should drop tomorrow, so it'll probably be more comfortable."
"Mm. Let's do that."
"Tomorrow, meet at your school."
"Ten in the morning. Sleep in a little."
"Our school?"
Miko and Yuria spoke at exactly the same time.
...
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