Beichuan Si wasn't aware of how his words would impact Nakamashima's subsequent actions, as the Curse Box's matter was currently most critical to him.

He asked Nakazato Ayame to lead them to the bus station, then glanced over.

This place was located in the western part of Hayakawa Town in Yamanashi Prefecture, quite isolated from the Tokyo area, hence it was not very bustling.

The farmland's young green shoots glittered, and the air was filled with the scent of soil, giving it all a rather pastoral charm.

Cottages were scattered at the foot of the mountain, much livelier than the "lifeless" description given by Nakazato Ayame.

Viewing the village, Shen Gu Mirai's mood seemed to elevate.

She pulled on Beichuan Si's sleeve, her expression brightening, "Mr. Temple, I want to take a look around here first… You can go mountain climbing with Miss Nakazato first, I'll catch up later."

Huh?

Beichuan Si glanced at Shen Gu Mirai, saw her smile and nod at him, and his expression softened as he spoke indifferently, "Then take your time, Mirai. You won't see such a charming place in Tokyo."

"Mm!" Shen Gu Mirai nodded, then as if something had occurred to her, she took out her investigation notebook, swiftly wrote something on it, and handed it over to Beichuan Si: "Here, Mr. Temple, this contains some information I gathered this morning. It might be useful to you."

The two exchanged pleasantries with Nakazato Ayame for a while before Shen Gu Mirai waved goodbye with a smile, temporarily parting ways with the two.

After Shen Gu Mirai left along the rural path, Beichuan Si, showing no pity for the girl, began ordering Nakazato Ayame around, having her lead the way.

"...this mountain," Nakazato Ayame said, pointing ahead as she panted heavily, struggling to breathe.

Beichuan Si's oppressive presence meant that Nakazato Ayame had hardly stopped at all along the way.

She jogged for about twenty minutes, her legs becoming weak from fatigue.

"This mountain...?"

Hearing Nakazato Ayame's words, Beichuan Si looked up.

Standing at the mountain's base, gazing at the great mountain.

What kind of feeling does it give you?

"An inversion sensation..."

Beichuan Si murmured to himself.

Yes, the mountain's depth and the smallness of the human body became particularly apparent when one looked up like this.

The winding mountain path was swallowed by dense woods.

The cold mountain wind whirled through.

All of this gave one an indistinct chill at the heart.

Even though your instincts tell you there is something about this mountain, unconsciously, you're also drawn to it.

Besides these...

Beichuan Si then looked down at his feet.

Barren patches of mud on either side of the mountain path had tricolored pinwheels spinning in them.

No, not just at his feet...

Looking up from here, you could see many tricolored pinwheels among the sprawling mountain paths.

In Japan, these tricolored pinwheels in the mountains had a special meaning.

The Japanese believe that pinwheels carry their thoughts, sending messages to their departed loved ones.

A place with pinwheels like this signified it was a local spiritual spot.

However...

"Is there writing?" Beichuan Si bent down and picked up one of the small pinwheels.

On the clean white back of the pinwheel, there was a line of small writing.

'Prayer… please forgive us foolish people, oh God of Fortune.'

A plea for forgiveness from the God of Fortune…?

Beichuan Si reinserted the pinwheel into the mud, his thoughts swirling.

The God of Fortune… wasn't this the legend from Yamanashi Prefecture that Shen Gu Mirai had discovered in her parents' room?

What was the relationship between this God of Fortune and the mountain where the Curse Box was located?

Beichuan Si glanced at Nakazato Ayame, who had been sitting on a nearby rock for a long time without getting up, and spoke only when he saw she had rested enough, "Let's go."

"...I, I understand."

Nakazato Ayame swallowed, pushing herself up from the rock.

She once again walked in front, leading the way for Beichuan Si.

The mountain path was rugged, without handrails on either side, and the road condition looked very poor, looking as if it hadn't been maintained for a long time.

Not to mention Beichuan Si, even Nakazato Ayame found it hard to walk, needing to sit down every ten minutes.

In such a stop-and-go manner, they progressively neared their destination.

Beichuan Si could sense something was wrong in the air the higher they went on the mountain.

Gradually, he could even see sheer black resentment swirling through the air.

There indeed was something hidden inside this mountain.

Beichuan Si squinted his eyes and continued to follow behind Nakazato Ayame.

After passing two forked intersections, the road grew even narrower.

After passing through the last shrubbery, a shrine covered with a red cloth appeared in front of Beichuan Si and Nakazato Ayame.

The shrine was in a sorry state.

The wooden shrine's roof was badly damaged, exposing rotten wood spikes in places, and it emitted a damp, decaying smell, showing not a single trace of the shrine's dignity.

Instead, its decrepit appearance gave off a bizarre, terrifying vibe.

But all of the above was just Beichuan Si's initial sensory impression of the shrine. What concerned him the most was—

"The Curse Box is not here."

Beichuan Si furrowed his brows.

According to Nakazato Ayame, on the red cushion that had faded to a terrible red, the Curse Box should have been enshrined.

After all, according to legend, after being used, the Curse Box would return to this shrine.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.