Parking Lot
Lu Ren leaned against the car, pondering how to obtain all the rewards.
Choosing one of two is what children do!
Adults want it all!
At this moment... Tamamo-no-Mae, who had been in spirit form, began to communicate with Lu Ren telepathically through their contract...
[Master, I won't be following this time.]
[I have other matters to attend to.]
...Tamamo-no-Mae said with a cheerful smile, leaving him in suspense.
"Other things?"
Lu Ren was a bit confused...
"Camping!"
"Of course, it's about camping!"
"I, Tamamo, am a Shrine Maiden Fox serving you!"
"If it's camping, then naturally we must prepare thoroughly!"
"Ehehehehe, just look forward to it! Miku!"
Tamamo-no-Mae said excitedly.
Her delicious meal, painstakingly prepared last night, was ruined by Hiratsuka Shizuka!
No matter what today!
She had to show her Master her superb cooking skills!
She wanted to prove herself more useful than a certain idle Yokai!
Almost the instant the call ended, Lu Ren felt that Tamamo-no-Mae had vanished.
"Sigh..."
"The Yokai on the back mountain won't have peace again..."
Lu Ren muttered playfully, but he didn't take it to heart.
"Lu-kun."
"What have you been mumbling about since just now?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka leaned out the car window, asking Lu Ren with a puzzled expression.
"Nothing."
"Shizuka, would you like to try some fine wine brewed by Yokai?"
Lu Ren smiled mysteriously, expertly playing on Hiratsuka Shizuka's desires.
"Yokai's fine wine..."
"Could it be that you have a way to get it...?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka's interest was immediately piqued, and she asked excitedly upon hearing this.
"That depends on your performance."
"There will be both wine and barbecue."
Lu Ren adopted a leader-like posture, painting a grand picture for Hiratsuka Shizuka.
"No problem at all!"
"I'm looking forward to the upcoming camping trip even more now!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka said excitedly.
For a drunkard, the allure of wine brewed by Yokai was simply too great!
Meanwhile, on the back mountain, a brown-haired girl dressed as a student, as usual, went to play on the back mountain alone.
She bent down to pick up a branch, wielding it like a long sword in a knight's hand, swinging it as she walked.
Suddenly, from a thicket on one side, a faint murmur of discussion could be heard.
"Let's leave here quickly..."
"Yes, yes..."
"If we don't escape, we'll all die..."
"You all heard it, didn't you, Yao Ying (Demon Shadow)'s laughter last night!"
"It was too terrifying! I never want to hear it again in my life!"
The murmuring voices, seemingly discussing something, were heard clearly by the girl.
Then, a pale blue Yokai power surged from the girl's body!
She swung the branch in her hand, striking directly at the thicket!
"Eek—!"
The sudden attack startled the Yokai hiding in the bushes, who were whispering amongst themselves.
Soon, the girl pushed aside the bushes and saw the true forms of the group of Yokai.
They were a group of Yokai only the size of a palm, among the weakest of their kind.
At this moment, they were carrying luggage of various sizes, looking as if they were about to embark on a long journey.
When they saw the giant form of their attacker, they were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground.
It was as if this human before them was the terrifying man-eating Yokai!
"I say..."
"What have you all been mumbling about since just now?"
The girl rested the branch on her shoulder, like a delinquent girl, squatting on the ground and looking down at the small Yokai in front of her.
"Phew... so it's Reiko..."
"You scared us to death..."
"We thought... the bringer of bad luck from last night had returned!"
The leading small Yokai patted its chest with lingering fear, feeling a sense of relief at having narrowly escaped death.
Compared to that terrifying bringer of bad luck from last night,
Reiko, who usually appeared fierce and menacing in the eyes of the Yokai, now seemed harmless.
"Huh—?"
The girl, referred to as "Reiko" by the Yokai, asked with confusion.
"Shush—!"
"Are you trying to die!"
"That great lord is a taboo that cannot be mentioned!"
A small Yokai dressed as a woman slapped her companion's head, scolding him with terror.
"Right, right, right..."
"I deserve it! I'll slap my own mouth right now!"
The leading small Yokai, trembling with fear, then raised its hand and slapped itself across the mouth.
Slap!
Slap! Slap!
The crisp sounds made Reiko frown.
She wanted to ask more, but the clever female Yokai spoke first.
"Reiko..."
"We weak Yokai don't know the truth."
"You should leave quickly too, this back mountain is no longer safe."
After leaving a few words of caution, the female Yokai bowed apologetically and withdrew.
Slap!
Slap! Slap!
The leading small Yokai continued to punish itself as it left.
Seeing its terrified expression, it wouldn't stop until it had slapped its mouth a hundred times.
"Last night..."
Reiko rose in confusion, she looked up blankly, gazing at the shrine on the mountain.
Perhaps... the "Mountain God" living there might know something... Half an hour later... At the shrine... Reiko, who had rushed there, had a face full of confusion.
Along the way, she had seen many Yokai hastily fleeing the back mountain.
Besides low-level small Yokai, many mid-level Yokai were also among them.
Not only them, but also many new Yokai formed from urban legends.
Twisty, Hachishaku-sama, Kuchisake-onna, and so on.
These Yokai, somewhat famous in urban legends,
They appeared even more panicked than other Yokai.
Reiko had never encountered such a thing before... Then, before she even ascended the steps, she heard a familiar voice from the flower bushes nearby.
"Oh! It's Reiko..."
"You still haven't given up on taking my shrine, have you?"