Chapter 877: Particle! Second!

Late at night, something was surging toward Asuka's location.

I see you!

Asuka sensed it; the girl had a unique ability to read the air.

Groups of grayish-black, semi-transparent humanoid figures, some missing arms, some with bent legs, some hunched over, some with heads tilted to one side as if their necks couldn't support the weight of their heads.

They surged out from the east end of the corridor, from the west end of the corridor, converging on her position.

More and more, more and more, so many that she felt the entire corridor was packed full.

They didn't speak, but she could hear their voices.

They're here! They're here!

We are their slaves!

Asuka tried to sense what this group of entities actually was.

However, all she felt was icy cold and a bone-deep hatred.

Hunger, fatigue, pain, hatred of the living, hatred of humanity, resentment toward everything, and anger at social injustice—a kind of humanity's most primal hatred, jealousy, vicious curses.

This terrible emotion almost instantly overwhelmed Asuka completely; she cried out in pain, clutching her head with both hands and crouching on the ground, her nails digging deep into her hair strands.

She recalled the days of old, when she and her half-sister Nanami lived in poverty in Hokkaido, a life where every bite and every minute had to be frugal, days when they couldn't turn on the heating no matter how cold it was until a certain time.

That was after their father died from overwork, and the two sisters came to Tokyo, carefully budgeting their money, calculating that after graduating from Musashino University they could find a regular employee position, full of hope that everything would get better.

That was after living in Tokyo for over a year, when they discovered the cost of living in Tokyo had far exceeded their expectations, having spent half their yearly money in just one year, watching their sister's face grow worse and worse, the younger sister seeing it in her eyes but not speaking, anxious inside.

That was when her sister started doing papa-katsu, and one day suddenly said she'd hooked a gullible mark, intending to ruthlessly drain his money through dating, and said if possible, find her a brother-in-law, and then from time to time brought back various high-end dishes for her to eat.

Then, her sister died.

Asuka found it hard to put her feelings at that time into words—it was utter cold, utter emptiness, utter chaos, the time when the whole world had lost its color, lasting until Uesugi Muneyuki appeared.

Actually, even though she had just started boarding at the Uesugi residence, Asuka remained extremely cautious, deeply afraid of causing any trouble; she didn't know what she could do then, what she should do, she only knew her fate originally should have been dragging her suitcase to street-walk in Ōkubo Park, wondering how much she could charge—ten thousand yen? Or eight thousand?

The girl dared to be wanton only after Uesugi Muneyuki truly took her, and then she finally confirmed she wouldn't be abandoned, so now she could fully indulge in becoming a dark bird, retorting with arrogant, sharp-tongued disdain.

But the shadows of the past have always loomed over Asuka.

How painful!

The shadows of the past have never truly dissipated in the girl's heart.

Asuka's tears fell.

It was those voices—too many, too chaotic, too bitter, packed in her heart, stuffed to bursting, so tears became the only outlet that could overflow. She crouched down, arms around her knees, burying her face in the crook of her arms.

Something was knocking on the door.

Once, twice, three times.

But she could no longer move; the girl merely crouched on the ground crying, her whole body trembling.

"Muu^Sousuke, Mai-sama, sorry, sorry, sister, A-shu will be good, A-shu will be very good, A-shu will do the housework well, A-shu only needs to eat one purple vegetable rice ball per meal, A-shu doesn't need to turn on the heating, A-shu can endure it!"

"Wuu wuu wuu~"

The door was violently shaking, the doorknob repeatedly spinning idly, making creaking sounds, and the door itself was under great pressure, beginning to warp slightly!

And at that moment, there was finally movement outside!

The corridor was split open by a beam of light.

Shirakawa Mai stood at the west end of the corridor, her Miko robe's white top and red hakama especially striking in the dim light. She drew her bow, and on the arrow nock gathered a cluster of golden, scorching light, as if a fragment of the sun had been packed into that arrow.

She aimed at the darkest patch in the center of the corridor.

Draw the bow, nock the arrow, release the string!

Break evil!

The entire corridor instantly became as bright as daylight! Following the arrow shot from Mai-senpai's great bow, came a light that shone from within the bones, making one want to kneel, so sacred one dared not gaze directly at it.

The grayish-black shadows screamed at the edges of the light, emitting a sound even sharper, more primal, like something being torn apart. The moment the arrow cluster hit the ground, the light exploded.

"Boom!"

"Bang~! Pop~! Whoosh!!!"

A golden pillar of light erupted from the exploding arrow cluster, spreading along the corridor's walls, ceiling, and floor, like a spiderweb instantly ignited, enveloping all those grayish-black, semi-transparent humanoid figures.

The entire corridor floor trembled once. After the firelight faded, a bowl-sized pit remained on the ground, scorched black and irregular, with smoke still rising from its edges. The carpet was burned through, and beneath it, the concrete layer was blasted into a shallow depression, cracks spreading outward like a dried riverbed. The darkest patch at the east end of the corridor was blown apart into fragments; the lingering black mist, like scalded worms, fled in all directions, some dissipating during the escape, vanishing into nothing, as if they had never existed.

Particle! Second!

Shirakawa Mai lowered her bow, standing in place, her breathing somewhat unsteady.

The full-power evil-breaking arrow consumed much of her spiritual power; her forehead had fine beads of sweat, but her expression remained that calm, steady composure. It's fine, spiritual power can be replenished by asking the junior student, enjoy getting it done.

She glanced at the east end of the corridor where impurity still lingered, frowned slightly—she had originally not wanted to use such force.

But Asuka's side couldn't wait.

At that moment, the stairwell door was pushed open, Uesugi Muneyuki stepped out quickly, seeing the corridor in disarray, then glanced at Shirakawa Mai's bow in her hand and the faint trace of guilt on her face, couldn't help but sigh: "You're up, one arrow and it's over—what about me?"

"I still need to interrogate!"

"Interrogation can wait later! Asuka's safety is the top priority." Shirakawa Mai lowered her bow, her voice light, but her tone left no room for negotiation: "Interrogation can wait, Asuka is the only one!"

……There's one thing to say, indeed." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded, but he fell silent for a moment, staring at the still-smoking pit on the ground, then at Shirakawa Mai's face straining to maintain "I'm very calm," opened his mouth as if to say something, finally just sighed: "Senior……this arrow of yours, enough to cover my salary for several months."

Shirakawa Mai put her bow away, walked to the pit, crouched down, reached out to touch the scorched edge, her expression somewhat subtle: "A few months' salary needn't be compensated, but this few months' spiritual power consumption~Junior student, are your spiritual power reserves still enough?"

"????!!!!!" Uesugi Muneyuki's face turned green.

Is this also in your plan? Senior?

You're doing this on purpose! You're lusting after my body, you're despicable!

At this moment, hotel staff came running over, they saw the large pit on the ground and the burned carpet, couldn't help but say: "Ms. Shirakawa, Mr. Uesugi, what exactly, is going on here?"

Mai-senpai stood up, turned to face the already-terrified hotel staff, cleared her throat, and said in a tone of "this is a professional procedure, please don't overreact": "The exorcism ritual had a minor technical error. This pit, I will fully compensate."

The hotel manager stood at the corridor entrance, mouth agape, eyes wide and round, looking at the pit, then at Shirakawa Mai, then again at the pit, his lips twitching several times, finally squeezing out: "Shi-Shirakawa-san, this……this doesn't need compensation."

Shirakawa Mai was stunned: "No compensation?"

The manager's expression changed from shock to something else.

We're going to get rich!

He rubbed his hands, his voice still trembling, but his speech had already sped up: "This pit... this pit we won't fill. We're going to protect it, put up a sign, write 'National Actress Shirakawa Mai Exorcism Relic Site'. Later, when guests come to stay, they can visit, they can take photos, they can post on social media!"

His eyes shone like light bulbs: "This wave of heat, our Aomori Hotel must ride it!"

"You two, you don't want the exorcism ritual mishap to be exposed, do you?"

Shirakawa Mai fell silent.

Uesugi Muneyuki also fell silent.

"As you like."

Asuka was still crouched in Room 308, her arms wrapped around her knees, her face streaked with tears.

Uesugi Muneyuki walked over, crouched down, and looked into her eyes: "It's okay."

Asuka nodded, sniffled, her voice a little hoarse: "I know. I'm not scared, with Sō-chan and Mai-sama here, I'm not scared!" She paused, then added: "It's just that they're too pitiful. Too pitiful."

"Too pitiful after?"

Uesugi Muneyuki reached out and ruffled her hair, saying nothing.

The lingering impurity in the hallway was still slowly dissipating, but before it vanished completely, Uesugi Muneyuki had already seen something—those black shadows, one by one, their bodily forms and movements before being shattered.

Asuka stood up from the ground, her legs a little numb, she leaned against the wall and caught her breath.

Uesugi Muneyuki walked over, reached out to support her arm, she leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder, her voice muffled: "Sōsetsu, I'm so sleepy."

"Hard work, you really did great today, A-shu, go rest."

"Mm." She responded, but didn't move, just kept holding him.

Uesugi Muneyuki didn't urge her either, just stood there in the hallway, letting her hold him.

The pit on the ground was still smoking. The hotel manager had already summoned several servants, who gathered around the pit to take photos, someone measured its dimensions with a ruler, someone was drafting the content for the signboard: "Hikawa IXX Year Twelfth Day, National Actress Shirakawa Mai Exorcism Ritual Bombing Point".

Beside them, someone quietly suggested adding a line: "Exorcise evil, banish demons, bless peaceful rest."

Uesugi Muneyuki heard it and thought it was absurd.

He supported Asuka as they walked toward the elevator, took two steps, then suddenly stopped.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again—his spirit vision had already activated.

The grudge spirits in the hallway had already been mostly cleared by Shirakawa Mai's arrow, only a few scattered remnants remained, like cigarette ash floating in the air, then slowly drifting down, sinking into the carpet.

The direction from which those grudge spirits came was not random; he crouched down, followed the grayish-black traces left on the floor, looking toward the other end of the hallway—those traces resembled dried riverbeds, flowing from both ends of the hallway toward the center, piling up thickest at the doorway of Room 308.

The source was not inside the hotel.

But in the east.

Uesugi Muneyuki stood up, walked to the window at the eastern end of the hallway, pulled back the curtain, and looked outside.

In the night darkness, beyond two kilometers away, there was the outline of a building complex.

A few solitary streetlights cast faint yellow circles on the snow, between the circles lay vast darkness, in which faint outlines of several low houses, several tall storage tanks, and a snow-covered road extending from the building complex could be seen, the road's end being this very hotel. The ranch sign was faintly visible in the streetlight's glow: "Aomori Seven Attitudes Power World Ranch", beside it a small line of text: "Social Welfare Corporation Aomori Welfare Association Shōtei Facility".

"Uh-huh?"