Chapter 150: He Is Struggling Against the Barrier

Tsuchimikado Kenji sighed with emotion.

Kamikawa Mitsu was a descendant of the Ashiya family born in another world, and they had even gone so far as to let him grow up in this world. From this kind of treatment, one could see just how special he was — he must be an outstanding talent the Ashiya family was cultivating with all their might.

The Ashiya family was founded by Ashiya Doman. Anyone who could become an outstanding talent within it must have extraordinary talent, and their accomplishments would certainly be significant.

Thinking this, Tsuchimikado Kenji chuckled to himself.

"Being respectfully called Head Shrine Priest by an outstanding talent whose future achievements will at least reach the level of an ancient transcendent — that feels pretty great."

……

The Tsuchimikado house, the room where the classics were stored.

Tsuchimikado Xia Mei opened one cabinet after another; inside, stacks of classics were neatly arranged.

"These are all photocopied editions of the ancient classics my family has collected. The contents were copied word for word from the ancient originals."

Tsuchimikado Xia Mei showed an apologetic expression:

"Our family's ancient classics are all so old that they fall apart at the slightest touch. Because every one of them is the only copy in existence, we're afraid of damaging them. Our family preserves the originals, and what we let the family members read are photocopied editions. I grew up reading these photocopied editions too."

"You don't need to explain all that, Tsuchimikado-san. I know about this." Kamikawa Mitsu smiled, not minding at all.

Ancient classics were, plainly speaking, antiques — how could they be casually taken out?

In fact, the ancient classics Tsuchimikado Xia Mei had read since childhood were precisely the photocopied editions in front of her. The true originals were all treasured away by the Tsuchimikado family, guarded like precious things, no different from antiques.

Even Tsuchimikado Kenji, when he was little, only ever read photocopied editions; he had barely touched the originals a few times, afraid of damaging them.

"Then may I take a look at these books?" Kamikawa Mitsu asked politely.

Tsuchimikado Xia Mei answered without hesitation: "Of course you can, look at whatever you like."

Then, as if remembering something, she patted her own head.

"Look at my memory — Kamikawa-san, you go ahead and read first, I'll go get you some sweets."

It was her first time actively inviting a friend home to look at the classics, and Tsuchimikado Xia Mei was so excited that she kept busy introducing this and that to Kamikawa Mitsu, and forgot about serving tea and snacks — only remembering now.

Her words had barely fallen when, without waiting for Kamikawa Mitsu's response, Tsuchimikado Xia Mei ran out of the room to get tea and snacks.

Seeing this, Kamikawa Mitsu smiled.

Who would have thought — the clever Tsuchimikado Xia Mei also had such a adorably silly side.

Compared with her clever and gentle side, he felt the adorably silly side of Tsuchimikado-san was far cuter.

Suddenly.

Kamikawa Mitsu's heart gave a start……

"Nii-san, you still say you don't like Tsuchimikado Xia Mei."

Recalling Tsuchimikado Xia Mei's adorably silly side, Kamikawa Mitsu found it quite amusing, but at this moment he inexplicably thought of something his little sister Chie had said to him.

At this moment.

His mind was like a slideshow, continuously replaying the scene of Tsuchimikado Xia Mei patting her own head, apologizing for forgetting to serve tea and snacks, and flusteredly running out to get them — her adorably silly behavior.

That manner was just like Ebina Nana from Himouto! Umaru-chan — very gentle and quiet, yet always doing flustered, adorably silly things, extremely cute.

As the images played, his sister's Chie's words kept echoing in his ears.

Kamikawa Mitsu froze.

At this moment, he suddenly felt Tsuchimikado Xia Mei was quite cute, and began to see her as a girl, not merely as a friend……

It wasn't until footsteps approached that Kamikawa Mitsu finally came back to himself.

What am I thinking? Could it be that I like Tsuchimikado-san? That can't be right.

Wait! I know!

It must be Chie — she's too good at fooling people.

Recalling the crooked logic Kamikawa Chie had used that day when telling Kamikawa Mitsu that he liked Tsuchimikado Xia Mei, Kamikawa Mitsu shook his head and waved away the images in his mind.

He'd almost been led astray by Chie's nonsense.

"Kamikawa-san?"

Tsuchimikado Xia Mei's voice reached his ears. Kamikawa Mitsu's pupils dilated as he realized that at this moment Tsuchimikado Xia Mei was very close to him, face-to-face, the distance between their faces no more than two fists' width.

At the same time, unaware of Kamikawa Mitsu's thoughts, Tsuchimikado Xia Mei leaned close to him, blinked her long eyelashes, and looked at him with clear, gem-like large eyes, her face full of concern.

What's wrong with Kamikawa-san?

Just now she had come in carrying tea and snacks, called out to Kamikawa Mitsu, and gotten no response — she only saw him holding the pose of reaching toward the cabinet and pulling out a book, standing there in a daze.

He looked as if he had been frozen in place.

Seeing this, Tsuchimikado Xia Mei grew worried.

Because this was the Tsuchimikado house — since the family had changed its name from the Abe family to the Tsuchimikado family, the household had been here from the very beginning. In other words, in the age of transcendents, the Tsuchimikado family had always lived here.

Kamikawa Mitsu came from the Ashiya family, whose ancestor Ashiya Doman had once stolen classics from Abe no Seimei.

Tsuchimikado Xia Mei feared that the Tsuchimikado family might have set up some kind of formation or barrier — something like a demon-repelling barrier to keep youkai out — and that this formation or barrier was meant to prevent anyone carrying Ashiya blood from entering the Tsuchimikado house.

Now that Kamikawa Mitsu had entered the Tsuchimikado house, could he have triggered the barrier's effect?

She was afraid of this possibility and hurriedly checked to see if something had happened to Kamikawa Mitsu.

On the other side.

Unaware of Tsuchimikado Xia Mei's thoughts, Kamikawa Mitsu only knew that she and he were very, very close.

Having obtained the power of a Festival Master, Kamikawa Mitsu's observation and eyesight were far more acute than an ordinary person's in every respect. With Tsuchimikado Xia Mei leaning so close to him, it was impossible not to clearly make out her exquisitely beautiful face.

A delicate face, skin fair as snow, like a heavenly work of art — so beautiful it stirred the heart, so beautiful it was intoxicating. For the first time he realized Tsuchimikado Xia Mei was this pretty; her face was like a fairy descended from the heavens — ethereal, beautiful, otherworldly, gentle……

Those clear eyes were dewy and sparkling, untainted by the slightest impurity, the beautiful pupils captivating, glances crystalline, and in the blink they seemed like gemstones, shining gorgeously.

His gaze drifted downward.

A pair of red lips so soft they seemed they would break at a touch, making one unable to resist wanting to lean in and bite them.

In his line of sight, lips gleaming with moisture, tender red lips that looked as if they could squeeze out water, parted and closed.

Tsuchimikado Xia Mei was speaking.

"Kamikawa, are you all right? Is something bothering you?"

The voice rang out, and Kamikawa Mitsu came back to his senses. Instantly, because of the thought in his mind about wanting to kiss Tsuchimikado Xia Mei, his guilty conscience made him instinctively step back, putting some distance between himself and Tsuchimikado Xia Mei.

Then he hurriedly gave a small cough to cover his embarrassment, waving his hand as he spoke.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"Are you really all right?" Tsuchimikado Xia Mei looked at Kamikawa Mitsu's face. "You suddenly zoned out, and your face suddenly turned red — you don't have a fever or a cold, do you?"

As she spoke, she reached out with concern, wanting to feel the temperature of Kamikawa Mitsu's forehead.

When Kamikawa came to the house he was perfectly fine, so how could he suddenly have a fever? No, it might not be a fever — maybe it's from holding his breath. Could he be fighting against the barrier, resisting the barrier's power with everything he has, so he held his breath and his face turned red?

Oh my, Kamikawa's face is even redder. How could I really forget about the barrier?

Tsuchimikado Xia Mei's concern was a jumbled mess, her thoughts scattered, and she felt a little self-reproachful.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, Tsuchimikado, don't worry." Kamikawa Mitsu, whose guilty conscience had made his face even redder, explained with a sheepish laugh: "I was just spacing out thinking about whether I left the gas on at home. My face being red… being red isn't a fever, it's because I'm hot. I checked the weather forecast and thought a cold front was coming today, so I wore a bit too many layers — I'm really hot now."

The next second.

Kamikawa Mitsu fanned himself with one hand and tugged at his collar with the other, putting on the appearance of someone who'd overdressed and was feeling very hot.

……