Mitou Shoukan://Blood-Sign Volume 7 Chapter 1

"I may have asked for excitement, but I didn't expect you to ask me to strip not five minutes after we met."

"You misunderstand."

(Stage 01 Open 07/19 06:30)

Original Joruri Method Artificial Vessel, Meinokawa Aoi

It was July 19, Marine Day, at 6:30 AM.

The first day of summer break started in the worst possible way. With fireflies as the only light source and no artificial lights or convenience stores in evidence, searching for lodging at 1:30 in the morning had been a lost cause. And there had not been any blankets or other supplies for people stuck there overnight. The train's windows had been broken and it had skipped several stations, but since summoners would be forgotten by normal people after leaving their field of vision, none of it would be considered a crime as long as they left after the battle. The people would fill in the missing memories for themselves and the train had continued on to get back to its proper schedule, so no one had remained here. The need to continue service even if this was the last train would have been felt more strongly than the presence of the summoners or Repligla.s.s weapons.

As a result, Kyousuke had been forced to spend the night at the unmanned station which did not even have any benches. He had gotten down on the platform and used his knapsack as a pillow. However…

"Mgh."

Something large and soft covered his face, obstructing his vision and breathing.

This station was not busy even during rush hour and he groped blindly to figure out what this was. And he soon found his answer. At some point, Biondetta had fallen asleep while holding his head in her arms. Her slender arms and giant b.r.e.a.s.t.s enveloped his head.

"Zzz."

"Hey, Biondetta, breathing while asleep uses a different part of the nervous system, so you can't fake it while conscious."

"Tch. And I was hoping to laugh my a.s.s off when you went for your defenseless big sister's lips."

The waitress demon finally released him from the soft headlock and smiled at him while still lying down.

"Good morning, sir. A proper breakfast will be difficult to prepare, but I can manage a continental."

"…How?"

"Eh heh heh. Take a look at the seven tools of a contracted demon☆"

The waitress got up and pulled all sorts of kitchen tools from her travel bags. They seemed to be collapsible models meant for outdoor use, but a closer look showed none of them were commercial models. Steel panels and pipes had been cut up and arranged into a compact version of the precise tools of the trade she was used to handling.

But Kyousuke made a sleepy comment.

"This feels more like what a maid would do than a waitress…"

"Higiiii!? Y-you are a truly frightening client, pointing out exactly what I was worried you would notice!! Have some mercy!!"

Incidentally, a continental breakfast might sound like something impressive, but the term basically meant it had bread and milk. It might also come with a salad and scrambled eggs and the best you could hope for was some bacon or sausage. You could think of it as the breakfast served by a hotel's room service or that some rich creep would enjoy along with an English newspaper.

In other words…

"I thought your bags seemed needlessly heavy, but do you have raw ingredients and a cooler in there?"

"Chemical cooling can preserve ice cream for three or four days without electricity. Use some military cus.h.i.+oning and…tah dah! These raw eggs are just fine."

She proudly showed off a lot of camping equipment, but the fridge and raw ingredients had to be a lot heavier. She must have been picky about water because one of her bags had a water cooler bottle inside it. How many kilograms was that bottle alone?

"You really are needlessly picky… And you have all this but no cereal?"

"Are you planning to eat that every morning until the end of the world?"

Biondetta lined up the cooking equipment in front of her like a band's drum set. While she got to work, Kyousuke pulled out his smartphone and began some light mental exercise. Just to be sure, he checked the TV tuner app and the online news sites, but there was no sign of an article about a train being attacked. Kyousuke and Biondetta could not always tell exactly how normal people filled in the gaps from their missing memories, but there did not seem to be anything to worry about this time.

"How many times did you wake up during the night?"

"Um, none that I remember."

It sounded like a casual conversation held over the pleasant sound of eggs sizzling in the oiled frying pan, but these two were at Freedom's 900 level. He looked up from the small screen as he continued.

"Then did Bridesmaid not attack again?"

"Since we didn't sense any hostility, I can only a.s.sume so."

Of course, he had previously been attacked in his sleep by Isabelle, the White Queen, and this demon just now, so that was no guarantee. If anything, Biondetta's senses were sharper since she lived a life of conspiracies where so many people held a grudge against her.

"Okay, okay. All done."

"Colorful as usual, I see."

"The visual effect helps wake you up."

The primary dish was two b.u.t.ter rolls. There was milk to drink and a plate held scrambled eggs with ketchup and two thick slices of bacon cooked until lightly scorched. For vegetables, they had corn and spinach cooked in b.u.t.ter. Bread, eggs, and vegetables. By deciding what to eat with the limited amount of bacon, the breakfast allowed for a fairly high level of customization.

"Red, yellow, and green… Oh? I happened to give it the colors of the Summoning Ceremony."

"You didn't do it on purpose? I a.s.sumed sneaking in some white with the milk was meant as a bit of hara.s.sment."

"There aren't many purely blue foods, so I had to use green instead. I don't like forcing it by using artificial colors."

"What about blueberries?"

"Ahh!? Right off the bat!?"

At any rate, they started eating.

If he let his guard down, Biondetta would have served him an ultra-high calorie breakfast along with a ridiculous drink that catered to her own extreme sweet tooth, but he seemed to have been lucky today. There was nothing surprising and it was honestly quite good.

"Now that we've eaten, what shall we do first?"

"Find a hotel."

"Umm, the Meinokawa Shrine, the one and only key to defeating the White Queen, is right in front of us and things feel like they're headed toward the climax thanks to the glimpses of the Bridesmaid soldiers that want to stop us…"

"And you want me to attempt the crucial negotiation with Meinokawa Aoi while carrying all this luggage and without changing into fresh clothes? I also want a shower. Since we can't lay the groundwork in advance, 80% of the negotiation will come down to the first impression we leave. It doesn't matter if the end of the world is only a day away; we need to be at least courteous enough to wash off all this sweat before visiting someone's home, Biondetta."

"Sweep, sweep."

Meinokawa Renge, a shrine maiden with long black hair, moved a bamboo broom in front of a vermilion torii. Houbi Village was #53 on the Top 100 Sights on the Archipelago - New Edition. It was also known for its water, both hot and cold. That might make it sound like a busy place, but it was actually a village in decline. It made a decent amount of money from the leisure-seeking tourists visiting the ocean during the summer and the mountains during the winter, but that did not actually increase the population. The village was not protected by the government like an Italian world heritage site, but they could not build a large shopping mall when they were required to maintain the beautiful scenery. That meant the only lifeline for shopping was to use the internet to order things from outside the village. This had actually freed the declining shopping district from having to provide the infrastructure for people's daily lives, so the shop managers had gone with their own personal interests instead of worrying about profit, creating an odd bit of activity there.

Ever since it was announced the village would die in another three years, they had done their best to hang on and that had lasted for more than twenty years by this point. That was how Renge saw the village.

The Meinokawa Shrine was more on the mountain side than the ocean side. Simply put, it was at the base of the mountains that approached the village. The area was filled with straight cedar trees that had been brought in as some kind of fad long ago, so every spring it became a dangerous area that earned the ire of all the nearby residents caught in the fierce storm of pollen.

"Whoops."

When she heard the distant melody of the radio exercise music, she could tell it really was summer break.

"The stamp. Don't forget the stamp, miss."

"After we eat breakfast, let's all meet up at Yuuta's house!!"

"How can you focus on having fun when you haven't finished your homework yet?"

The Meinokawa Shrine where Renge lived was only a small shrine that had been completely forgotten by the region (even by the d.a.m.ned offering thieves). A much larger shrine located right on the road had grown much more popular, so the people of the village would probably think of that one first. That was the one they gave offerings to at New Year's and it was where the small children gathered for the radio exercise.

Renge felt a little sad at being overshadowed by it, but it did not damage her pride.

(Well, it would be selfish to feel too sad when we intentionally used it to hide our presence.)

The concept of gous.h.i.+ existed in s.h.i.+nto.

That referred to a shrine that constructed more than one building to enshrine multiple G.o.ds. This would sometimes happen when the enshrined G.o.ds were quite similar or another shrine had declined to the point that it had to join with a larger shrine in the area.

The Meinokawa Shrine was one of those.

In other words, it was all one large shrine. Theirs was the true shrine and the giant shrine placed conspicuously out front was no more than a decoy.

The Meinokawa Shrine, which followed the Summoning Ceremony and enshrined their secret G.o.d, called itself a shrine out of custom, but it was technically not a religious facility that enshrined any of this nation's myriad G.o.ds that were said to live in Takama-ga-Hara. They were registered as a religious organization, but the odds were high the normal people at the government office had completely forgotten about the registration doc.u.ment.

Even before the discovery of the Third Summoning Ceremony in 1999, this secret organization had used ancient traditions and folklore to predict the existence of beings beyond the G.o.ds and had trusted their instincts as they enshrined those beings despite there being no religious system or culture behind it.

Even when s.h.i.+mabara was oppressed and the roadside Jizou were decapitated in the wave of anti-Buddhism, history was built up by those who maintained their purity in the face of that religious persecution on the surface. Since they had taken this form in the end, there was unlikely to be any greater form for them to take. Or so Meinokawa Renge believed.

(Not that I can celebrate the result when the secret G.o.d our ancestors worked so hard to protect is that white thing. Well, I'm not about to mock the belief in their hearts.)

No matter how it had begun, the Meinokawa Shrine remained to this day and Renge now held a bamboo broom there. That was a declining but solemn territory cut off from all worldly thoughts. It might look like a silly miniature garden from the outside, but Renge was thankful she could fill her lungs with that air. It was not simply pa.s.sing all this down for generations that qualified as a miracle. The number of coincidences she had to thank for her very unique birth into this world was astronomical.

And as that black-haired shrine maiden enjoyed the refres.h.i.+ng morning, a sudden "change" appeared before her.

The scent of the exact same soap wafted from the flushed faces and wet hair of the extremely inappropriate and worldly pair of a pessimistic boy and a waitress demon.

It was s.h.i.+royama Kyousuke and Biondetta.

They approached while looking like they had gotten into some kind of trouble while no one was looking…or rather, they were covered in the side effects of having shared a room and bathroom.

The sacred ground was destroyed!

"Finally, a familiar face. If Renge is here, this must be the Meinokawa Shrine."

"Pant, pant. Sir, even if it's early morning, it's still midsummer. Heading out immediately after taking a hot shower was a mistake. The heat is trapped inside my clothes."

Biondetta casually grabbed the chest of her waitress outfit and fanned herself with it.

Renge had not taken a bath, but her cheeks were the reddest ones there.

Her eyes spun in their sockets.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what!!!???"

"Why!? This is a shrine! You'll be cursed if you show up here after clearly taking a shower together and looking like you've cleared some major milestone!!!!!"

"Biondetta, what is she trying to say?"

"Pant, pant. I'm so overheated that my mind is refusing to work, so don't expect much from me…"

When she saw Biondetta collapse down with her legs limply turned inwards (and while producing lots of heated breaths and sweet sweat), Renge's confusion reached a critical point.

"Don't think I can't understand this! Girls can pick up on these subtle changes! My conclusion is the only way to explain why a young boy and girl smell like the same soap!! Awawawawawawah!!"

"Soap? Oh, the hotel's."

"Hotelllll!!!???"

The supplied soap and shampoo would be the same whether they rented a single double room or double single rooms, so Kyousuke simply tilted his head to ask, "What's your point?"

Meanwhile, the pure black-haired shrine maiden could not stop her imagination from running wild with her completely mistaken conclusion, but she lacked the experience needed to imagine the crucial details.

"I-I can't let Higan see this! I can't let Higan see what has become of this defiled strongest idiot!!"

"Rengeeee, did you just call for me?"

"Higiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!! S-stay away, Higaaaaan!!!!!"

There were many varieties of cicada, so the sounds of their cries changed depending on the time of day. They had not made much noise during the night and they seemed to make more of a jiii jiii than a miiin miiin during the morning.

There was no need to switch on the air conditioner. The wind blowing across the mossy garden and through the window screen was enough to stop their sweating. The refres.h.i.+ng j.a.panese building was protected by that water and air.

(Although the wood smells fairly new.)

Kyousuke and Biondetta sat on cus.h.i.+ons in front of a tea table and gla.s.ses of barley tea were placed in front of them. Due to the ice in the tea, cold condensation covered the outside of the gla.s.ses.

"Now. Higan, do you know why Renge is collapsed on the tea table and refusing to move?"

"No. What are you doing, Renge?"

"Nothing," was all she weakly said from the gap between her face and the table.

Meinokawa Higan was the shrine maiden said to be Renge's twin sister. Their facial features were almost identical, but her long hair was blonde and her eyes were a transparent blue. And this was not due to dying her hair or wearing color contacts.

She was a Summoning Ceremony vessel.

As proof, she wore restraints that bound her own mind and prevented evil spirits from possessing her against her will. In her case, she wore a leather blindfold pushed up onto her forehead and a racehorse's bit lowered around her neck.

"Well, as long as someone can get us in contact with her, it doesn't really matter who."

"Come to think of it, what brings you here, s.h.i.+royama-san?"

"Are your parents here right now?"

"They left a note on the message board saying they were going to a neighborhood a.s.sociation meeting. Um, I think it's a reminder that burglars will come to the village disguised as tourists."

That was a very working cla.s.s reason to miss someone, but then Biondetta narrowed her eyes.

"Huh? But we're summoners and vessels, so if your entire family works on the front lines, wouldn't they be completely forgotten by a gathering of normal people?"

Renge weakly waved a hand with her black hair spread out on the table like a dead jellyfish. She seemed to be saying to keep quiet about that especially in front of Higan who remained ignorant of it all.

…The greatest achievement of the Meinokawa Shrine was the construction of entirely artificial vessels using the Joruri Method and pairing them with the family's skilled summoners for a stable supply of fighters.

It was a bit of a confusing concept, but if they specialized in "construction", then it was possible some of them did not become summoners or vessels despite being so deeply involved with the Summoning Ceremony.

Although that meant the pairs like Renge and Higan would still be forgotten by normal people.

Renge finally raised her head.

"Well, pretty much everyone who lives around here is a Meinokawa. Even if the family name in front of the house changes, they're still some kind of relative, so plenty of people remember you even after you fall into the world of the Summoning Ceremony."

"That would explain how lively the village seemed for its supposedly declining population. There must be a large gap between the population remembered by the official records and the population forgotten by them."

The Meinokawa Shrine had once been taken by a Queen-wors.h.i.+ping group called Guard of Honor due to the debt racked up the gambling addiction of the twins' parents. So even if they were surrounded by relatives, there must have still been a line drawn between them.

Kyousuke thought for a bit.

"There are some aspects of the Meinokawa Shrine's system I don't understand, so could you explain something for me?"

"Sure."

"When trying to contact someone, would it be rude to go over your parents' heads since I they must be the current priests? Or can I get permission from shrine maidens like you? Is there a single, direct hotline, or are the lines drawn out in a network?"

"Who are you trying to contact?"

Kyousuke leaned in toward the black-haired summoner's ear since she did not want Higan to know about the artificial beings. And he whispered to the girl who blushed at his unexpected approach.

(The very first Joruri Method. Meinokawa Aoi-san who is enshrined as your secret G.o.d.)"

And finally…

"This way."

The twins parted ways and Meinokawa Renge alone guided s.h.i.+royama Kyousuke and Biondetta. Blonde Higan puffed her cheeks out like rice cakes, but due to the great secret she carried, Renge could not let her sister know about the details of the Joruri Method. So Renge gave Higan a long series of ch.o.r.es to keep her busy in the kitchen: "Cook some somen, chop up the pickled vegetables in the underground ice room, thaw some corn, rub some soy sauce on it, cook it, and then cheer on the high school baseball team on TV."

Meinokawa Aoi.

Since she was known as the shrine's secret G.o.d, she would not be in an obvious location.

The black-haired shrine maiden guided them to the back of the normal shrine building. She touched the altar wall and the entire wall spun around like something from a ninja mansion.

As soon as she did, the already cool air grew downright icy.

"Is this…?"

"…a limestone cave?"

Kyousuke and Biondetta carefully observed the large s.p.a.ce that opened up before them.

It was surrounded by walls of a whitish mineral. Thanks to the many smooth b.u.mps on the walls and the drops of water dripping down them, it felt like walking into the stomach of a giant creature.

"The upkeep of this place is a real pain thanks to all the moisture. The hidden door is airtight, but mold sneaks in through the smallest gaps," explained Renge as she grabbed some traditional sandals. "Take these shoes. It's slippery, so it can be pretty dangerous."

Since they could visually observe the cave, it obviously had a light source. Just like at a construction site, there was scaffolding of steel panels and metal pipes as well as angled ladders instead of stairs. Halogen lights were strung up by thick cables. The low, droning rumble heard in the distance may have been due to a tunnel ventilator.

"We entered through a fancy hidden door, but there are actually entrances to the cave all over." Her answer was simple. "One route leads to our enshrined G.o.d, but there are plenty of other routes too."

"I see. …Secrecy can be both good and bad, can't it?"

"Tell me about it. Our ancestors apparently located the sacred ground here without giving it much thought, but they must not have understood the full scope of this vast network of caves. They only later realized how many other entrances there are. Now there are all sorts of sections built up in here: for sightseeing, for crystal mining, and for storing food, buried treasure, or other supplies. And all the 'discoverers' believed they had found a different cave." Renge smiled bitterly. "We might want to forbid them from using the caves, but normal people won't remember what summoners tell them, so there's no way to stop them. We apparently filled in the holes in the past, but since they couldn't remember any of it, they just kept digging back up the same spot. We've ended up deciding it's for the best if the inside ends up a giant labyrinth. And meanwhile, we're trying to divert the underwater rivers to divide up the caves using the powerful moisture and rapid currents. Although we can't get too aggressive since the crystals mined here are used for our shrine's protective charms."

Her explanation continued as they walked across the metal bridges running across a giant underground lake. It was probably set up so choosing the safer route would take you away from the enshrined G.o.d.

The Meinokawa family may have brought in the materials for this as well.

It seemed even religious occupations could be difficult.

"But with all this water in here, it's kind of creepy to not see any bats, geckos, or other animals. I just hope that isn't a sign of volcanic gases."

"Oh, that's one of the signs."

"There are animals in the other tunnels. We haven't put out anything to keep them away, but for some reason, none of them ever approach the route leading to our secret G.o.d. As if they're showing respect for the sacred ground."

They walked along the poor footing of the cave for about half an hour.

At the very back of a narrow tunnel, they found a thick steel door covered in gold leaf. The double door's gold was not a gaudy decoration; it was meant to prevent rusting within all the moisture. The lock actually looked more valuable. It was a giant, bag-sized padlock that had likely been in use for centuries. But that kind of lock did not look like it could be opened from the inside. Looking at it that way, the door almost felt like it led to a cell. Instead of preventing thieves from getting in, it seemed to prevent some great evil from escaping.

"Where's the key?"

"It was apparently lost a few generations back." After nonchalantly admitting that, Renge grabbed the antique padlock with both hands. "So you have to grab it like this, twist it this way, and push up on the latch inside. Diagonally…like this!"

With a heavy clunk, the lock really did open.

It looked a lot like an old lady hitting the corner of an old TV to get it working again. One had to question why they even bothered with the lock anymore, but the padlock was so rusted at this point that it seemed doubtful the key would have fit inside even if they did find it. In a way, they may have created a family security lock that was immune to a.n.a.log picking and digital cyber attacks.

"Beyond this door lies Meinokawa Aoi…our shrine's G.o.d and, in a way, my ancestor," said Renge concerning the very first Joruri Method. "Are you ready? There is an even greater reason why we can't place her out front to gather visitors. She is a very…peculiar person, so prepare yourselves."

With that warning, she opened the thick and golden door.

And beyond those double doors, they found…