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What was that broadcast about?

I-I don't know!

Did Kinbee use to be a TV host or something?

Kinbee?

Mifune.

When I was little? I think I remember something like that.

I heard Mifune used to helm every program on the Kinseki Channel in its early days. News, variety shows, and sometimes he'd make a guest appearance on the weather channel too.

Come to think of it, I even helped them do a few of those long weather forecasts.

Later on when Kinseki Channel expanded, he only did breaking news, and as time went on, eventually disappeared off camera.

So, what he wants now is—

Yo, that bike over there!

The Ao-Oni?!

She's really with Momoka!

So, should we stop them?

You got a death wish?! Call the news!

Just look her sobbing, I bet the Ao-Oni kidnapped her... maybe she's doing some mind control stuff too!

You call the news station, I'll get the cops.

Didn't the cops issue a bunch of notices saying we shouldn't treat them like the Spiritual Affairs people and not to bother them for kaidan stuff?

Oh yeah.

Gah, we should speed up.

Momoka is going as fast as she can, but Hoshiguma still feels her vision only repeats some sort of gigantic loop.

Neon lights, pedestrians, skyscrapers, road crossings. Neon lights, pedestrians, skyscrapers, road crossings—

After some time, the loop finally breaks, and old neighborhoods like Kajimachi begin to show up in her view as the number of buildings grows sparse.

They eventually give way to large patches of wilderness bearing traces of construction work and outright abandoned plates.

The sky gradually brightens.

Hoshiguma-san, the place is right up ahead.

Alright—wait, you should slow down—we're gonna hit the gate at this rate!

Huh?!

Momoka hits the brake hard, but it is too late—

The scooter zooms into the shrine, only stopping right in the middle of the garden. Thanks to Momoka's excellent balance, the two are spared from being thrown off the vehicle.

Oh no, what if they think we're being rude...?

Kannushi-sama! A woman's fighting her way in again! She's on a bike this time!

Again?!

I don't know why, but no one's stopping her—them, I mean, and they're right in center courtyard!

'Them'?

Check and see if it's a Vulpo, won't you?

Er...

A Vulpo? No, it's an Ægir and an Oni.

They brought back terrible memories of last time, and I didn't look at them clearly in my panic, sorry...

It's not your fault that concern wrecked your nerves.

Whoever our guests may be, I'll simply entertain them. The rest of you, calm down and focus on your own work.

I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do this! I was just so nervous I forgot to use the brake—

I was wondering who it was. Are you not Momoka-san?

K-Kannushi-sama...

Uh, you know each other?

Momoka-san used to be a regular visitor here. She last came five years ago, and I thought perhaps her wishes came true and that she was now living a happy life.

No, not really... I just got so busy that I no longer had the time to visit.

No need to be sad. This is the Kizuna Jinja after all. You found success in your career, so I'm sure you formed lots of ties and connections with others.

*Cries*...

May I know how to call Momoka's friend here?

I'm Hoshiguma. Looking for someone.

Whom, may I ask? The shrine is quite bereft of clergy.

No, I'm not looking for a priest. I came here to find a 'kami-sama' for somebody.

Specifically, I'm looking for a unicycle with an invisible rider. I guess people in Mitsukue call it 'Wanyuudou'. Is it really a kami?

If they were looking to establish some sort of connection or looking for a blessing, I'm afraid they should come here themselves. Prayers made on someone else's behalf will not work.

He just wants to meet the kami. Didn't seem to care much about the forming ties or getting blessed type of thing.

Moriuchi-kun is truly a stubborn one... No, I should praise him for his tenacity.

You know him?

He's the one who insisted on meeting a specific kami with no want of blessing. We've become quite well-acquainted over the years.

So this means you can help him find the kami, right?

Nah, Moriuchi asking us to do it for him means the priest failed.

It is as you say. We priests cannot do anything if the kami themselves are unwilling to appear.

Well, the two of you haven't technically disrespected the shrine, other than driving your scooter onto our grounds.

Wh-What should we do? Do I have to apologize to the kami-sama? How do I do that?

Let me think... To appease the kami's anger, please go over to the omamori stall there and buy a full set.

What?

Then go to the hundred-mon omikuji and draw fortunes until you get one each of 'sue-kichi', 'chu-kichi', 'dai-kichi'. It's alright if you draw any of the others—unless you get 'dai-kyou'—then you'll have to start over.

Eh?!

—Finally...

I'm just joking. The kami would never punish someone over a scooter.

Wha—?!

I pray the two of you will obtain what you truly desire here. Now, plenty of divine work awaits me, so I shall take my leave.

Phew! I was worried I wouldn't have enough mon for all that!

Seems like the kannushi isn't going to get in our way, so things are going pretty well for us.

Let's take it easy. Why not go over to the omikuji section for a break, while I look around the place?

Um... that works.

Hoshiguma slowly goes around the vacant shrine grounds.

She knows so little about shrines and Shinto she cannot even tell if it's a 'honden', 'haiden', or 'heiden' standing before her.

The only things resembling Moriuchi's keychain are the two statues behind the stone lanterns that were obviously based on Perro Beast Stewards.

But the breeze here is cool, and she cannot help but to recall her youth when she visited a monastery with her father.

Her father and Tessai's figures appear and disappear between the pine and cypress trees, and the abbot pats her head and she hears the tale of the first Oni.

That Oni's name seems to be... 'Qui'lon'...

Hoshiguma-san, Hoshiguma-san!

What's up?

It's bad!

You got a 'dai-kyou'?

No, a 'sue-kichi'—no, I didn't mean that! I mean, I heard something!

The Wanyuudou?

I don't know! Maybe, but what if... it's a ghost...?

A ghost showing up this early in the morning might be some sort of super scary evil spirits, like onryo!

We should trust the kannushi a little. You think he'd let evil spirits in here?

True, but—

There's that sound again!

Calm down.

Ugh, it's not like I could do that on command, even if I wanted to...

I didn't expect It'd actually show up here. There's tracks on the ground...

The unicycle seems to realize Its tracks are giving It away, and turns toward the stone pavement.

Wh-What do we do?

Isn't this better for us? Now It's locked onto the stone pavement.

But... how is a kami unable to hide Its own tire tracks...?