Chapter 23: Shrinking Turtle
As it turned out, many times the simplest and most brutal method was actually the most convenient and fastest. Sometimes, a problem that others would overcomplicate could be solved with a single, straightforward move.
As for whether that ghost would deliberately lie to fool the Demon Lord?
Kouya said, impossible. He had already learned to read through their tricks—ghosts might be deceitful, but when facing someone stronger, their fear always betrayed them.
When that ghost ran away clutching its head, wailing as if terrified out of its mind, the illusion around him trembled and shattered like glass. The dreamlike world dissolved into fragments of light, and the scene before him shifted back to the brightly lit corridor of the resort.
The door beside him was now closed tight, no sound leaking from inside. Clearly, the shrine maiden and the catgirl Rina had already left. The faint scent of incense and catnip still lingered in the air, proof they had been here only moments ago.
Kouya paused for a second, his sharp eyes scanning the hallway. Everything seemed normal again, too normal. He clicked his tongue and began walking toward the lobby.
Just as he reached the end of the hall, a sudden burst of hurried footsteps echoed from outside—wet soles slapping against tile, anxious and fast.
Moments later, Manager Hirata Sachiko and the shrine maiden came rushing in, their umbrellas dripping with rainwater, their faces pale and tense.
"Something happened again in the resort just now…" Hirata gasped slightly. "The hot spring turned into blood, a human head appeared outside the window, and some guests fainted from fright... Miss Ruri?"
Chiba Ruri's eyes flickered with faint spiritual light. She nodded slightly and said, "I went out to check just now. It's definitely a youkai's doing. The energy lingering outside is foul and restless. But that thing is extremely cautious. Before I could get close, it sensed my presence and slipped away."
Hirata Sachiko bit her lip hard. Youkai and curses—these were things far beyond the reach of ordinary people. No matter how much she wanted to solve it herself, she was powerless. She could only put her faith in Ruri and hope the spiritual world's rules still had some mercy left.
"Then, Miss Ruri, what should we do?" she asked quietly, almost pleadingly.
The shrine maiden sighed, brushing a few raindrops from her sleeves. "That thing refuses to show itself. It flees before confrontation. It's hard to corner, but if we can discover its lair, we might have a chance to catch it."
"..."
Everyone fell silent. The security guards shifted uncomfortably, glancing at each other. They were ordinary people armed with nothing but flashlights and nerves. How were they supposed to find the lair of a creature that could vanish like mist?
Then, Kouya's calm voice cut through the silence:
"Its lair? I know where it is."
"Eh?"
Every head turned toward him instantly.
Kouya smiled faintly and shrugged. "I just met a little ghost. It told me."
"Really?" The shrine maiden frowned slightly, half-doubting.
"Follow me and see," Kouya said simply.
Without waiting for approval, he turned on his heel and walked toward the exit. His confident stride left no room for hesitation.
The others exchanged glances, unsure whether to laugh or worry, but in the end, they followed him out into the rain.
At some point, the sky had turned black, and rain fell in thin, whispering sheets.
When they looked up, the clouds hung heavy and low, gray like moldy cotton pressed so thickly that they seemed ready to burst. The air was damp and chill, every breath laced with the scent of wet earth and pine.
They made their way through the winding paths of the resort—lights flickering faintly through mist—until they reached a wide lake at the center.
Raindrops danced across the surface, scattering ripples like silver scales. The lake stretched over ten acres, its banks lined with trimmed grass and young trees. The resort had been built around it, advertising a perfect blend of nature and architecture.
A pavilion stood proudly in the middle, still new and shining under the rain, while a small dock rested nearby for boating and lotus picking during the warmer seasons.
Now, though, the beauty was gone. The mist and drizzle cast the scenery in melancholy tones. The sound of rain striking the leaves, the faint smell of algae, and the cold wind whispering across the surface—all wove together into an unsettling stillness.
The group stopped at the water's edge. Even the guards seemed tense, their flashlights trembling slightly in their hands.
Kouya raised his arm and pointed straight at the lake. "It's there."
The shrine maiden blinked. "You mean... the youkai is hiding in the lake?"
"That's what the ghost told me," Kouya said with certainty.
Hearing this, the guards began shining their flashlights over the water. The beams cut through the drizzle, illuminating ripples and fog—but the deeper they shone, the faster the light was swallowed by darkness. After a few meters, there was only a void.
The pattering rain sounded louder now. Each drop that hit the lake sent small circles of motion spreading outward endlessly. At first glance, it could almost be beautiful—but after Kouya's declaration, the same sight now seemed sinister, as though the calm surface hid a giant waiting mouth.
Hirata Sachiko took a step forward, forcing a smile. "Kouya-kun, are you absolutely sure it's there?"
Kouya arched a brow but didn't answer immediately. She quickly waved her hands. "Please, don't misunderstand! I'm not doubting you, it's just... if it's hiding underwater, we'll need boats, nets, divers—tomorrow at the earliest. Even then, it might escape, and the whole commission could fail, because..."
Because a youkai wasn't something nets could hold. They all knew it.
All eyes were on Kouya now—some skeptical, others curious. The tension was thick enough to taste.
Kouya exhaled lightly and smiled. "No need for that much effort."
"Eh?"
"The ghost told me something else too. That thing in the lake—" his eyes glinted mischievously, "—has one fatal weakness."
He took a deep breath and suddenly roared across the water:
"Shrinking turtle! I'm calling you out—do you dare answer?!"
His voice was powerful, sharp as a blade, echoing through the rain. It struck the lake's surface and bounced off the surrounding cliffs, spreading into the night.
"Shrinking turtle! Too scared to show yourself?!"
"Shrinking turtle! Your mom's calling you home for dinner—!"
"..."
The silence that followed was almost painful.
Even the calm shrine maiden twitched at the corner of her mouth, staring at Kouya in disbelief.
What was he doing? Did he think this was a joke? Did he imagine the lake was his backyard pond?
If summoning monsters were as easy as shouting a few insults, then every coward could be an exorcist, and pigs would've learned to climb trees.
Hirata Sachiko sighed helplessly, lowering her umbrella. "Kouya-kun, maybe we should just come back tomorr—"
She never finished the sentence.
Kouya's head snapped toward the lake, his expression shifting. "It's here."
A heartbeat later, a massive splash erupted from the middle of the lake—an explosive surge of water, as though a giant creature had flipped beneath the surface.
The guards froze, then scrambled to aim their lights at the disturbance. The beams flickered wildly across the waves.
Ten meters out, the water began to bulge. Beneath the churning surface, something vast and dark moved—its shape distorted, twisting like ink writhing in water.
A murmur rippled through the group. Some stepped back involuntarily.
Then came the voice.
Low, guttural, and dripping with fury.
"You son of a bitch! You're the shrinking turtle! Your whole family's shrinking turtles! I HATE when people call me that!!"
The black mass in the water convulsed violently, and a storm of waves burst outward.
With a thunderous splash, the lake split apart.
And from its depths rose a grotesque old man—his skin slick and gray, his back curved like a shell. He stepped onto the lake's surface, each stride leaving ripples beneath his feet, walking toward them with eyes that gleamed like wet stones.