On the way to the shrine, there are basically few pedestrians.

When I passed by the convenience store, Kazuma noticed that there was no one inside—there was an OPEN sign hanging at the door.

So he muttered: "This kind of convenience store is a chain, right, no one at the front desk will not be found by the head office to deduct money?" ”

"The mountain is high, and the emperor is far away." "Maybe people are restocking their shelves......

"No, it's a chat at the dim sum shop opposite." Someone interrupted Tamamo's words.

He Ma followed the prestige and saw an uncle in a convenience store uniform, and a waiter in a dim sum shop uniform standing next to him.

The waiters at this kind of confectionery shop in Tokyo are usually about 20 girls, and most of the uniforms are cute dress designs, and the uniform design here is in the same vein as the Tokyo store, but the one who wears it is an aunt who is almost 40.

After looking at each other, the uncle said, "You two came so early, and the peak season usually doesn't start until about a week." ”

The waiter's aunt smiled: "Maybe it's because it's very hot this year, I read the news that it has something to do with that." ”

"El Niño, El Niño."

"Yes, that's it," the aunt nodded repeatedly, "and the TV says it's a phenomenon of the sea getting hotter." I guess it's because the sea is so hot that it can't go down to the sea, so people by the sea can only come to the mountains to enjoy the coolness. ”

He Ma was about to complain, but the uncle spoke first: "How can the sea water be so hot that you can't go down to the sea?" Are you kidding me? It's not "Japan Sinks". ”

"There is no sea water in Japan's sinking, and it is so hot that you can't go down to the sea." Hema seized the opportunity to interject, "If the sea is hot like that, the whole world will become a sauna when this heat is released, and the human race will be extinct." ”

"Will humanity go extinct?" Auntie was shocked.

The convenience store uncle waved his hand: "No, no, no, by the way, you two are going to the convenience store to buy something?" ”

Kazuma shook his head, then pointed to the torii gate at the foot of the shrine: "We're going to go to the shrine to have a look, and it is said that the bone-setting cream sold there works very well." ”

"It's very effective, and it's said to be made from the scalp of a kappa, so it's very cool." Uncle said.

Kazuma looked at Tamamo.

Tamamo: "Kappa's scalp is not cured. ”

- Wait a minute!

While complaining to Ma, the convenience store uncle laughed: "What an interesting little girl, you won't be college friends, right?" Look at the age, dress up...... Well, no doubt Tokyoite.

"Last year, we had a group of college students from Tokyo here, looking for some mallet snake, and there was a little girl who knew all kinds of monster things, and she was simply 'Dr. Monster'."

The mallet snake is a legendary creature in Japan, also known as the earth dragon, after the war, there have been many so-called sighting reports but there is no evidence, the Japanese folk search for the mallet snake has not stopped, a bit of the Loch Ness monster that taste.

In addition, the Japanese side likes to call people who know a lot Dr. XX, and the doctor here is not a degree, but simply takes the literal meaning of words: erudite.

Kazuma: "We're also university students, and we're from Tokyo. ”

"You're looking for the mallet snake too?" The convenience store uncle frowned, "Last year, that group of college students were careless when they climbed the mountain, and two people fell off the cliff, one died and one was injured, and the injured one seemed to have become a vegetative person." Be careful, the mountains are not like cities, and a small injury in the mountains can lead to death due to untimely treatment. ”

He Ma and Tamamo glanced at each other.

"Can you elaborate on that?" As a future police officer, Kazuma began to ask for details.

"I don't know the specifics, but I work at a convenience store and didn't participate in the search and rescue. Anyway, when I carried it down the mountain, there was no one left, and there was one who couldn't move like wood, and the little girl who was a monster doctor was crying a lot. ”

And the horse raised an eyebrow.

The aunt of the dim sum shop used the aunt's inherent skills to "tell gossip" and added a wave of information to Hema: "This matter was suppressed by those people from the Tourism Promotion Association, and it is said that a lot of compensation was given to those college students." ”

The convenience store uncle frowned: "People are also for everyone's good, if this is spread, I'm afraid that no one will come to our hot spring for a few years." Without tourism income, the income from the crops planted will return to the hard life of the past. ”

The aunt pursed her lips and stopped talking.

Kazuma: "Was it hard to live here before the tourism development?" ”

"Look at what you said, it's really the eldest young master in the city, haven't the peasants always been very bitter?" The convenience store uncle laughed to himself.

Kazuma: "The price of agricultural products in the city is so high, I thought it was ......"

"Bullshit, in order to maintain that high price, the agricultural cooperatives forbade us to produce too much, and whoever had many varieties would not buy his products, and would not help him purchase seeds and agricultural machinery......"

The convenience store uncle sighed: "We are too far away from Tokyo, otherwise we can try to drive to Tokyo and sell it by ourselves, and completely get rid of the agricultural cooperatives." Although the price is low, you can sell as much as you want, and you can make more money even if you count the money for gas. ”

With an "oh" from the horse, he suddenly remembered the pumpkin that he and Haruru had thrown when they were running away.

According to the uncle, it is a good thing that Qingliu and her family Bai Fengfeng help farmers go to the city to sell melons?

No wonder that melon farmer was so respectful to Qingliu.

Kazuma wanted to continue to ask about the mountaineering accident last year, but the uncle at the convenience store stood up and patted his buttocks: "Okay, I should go back to work too, I saw Grandma Noda walking this way." If you want to go to the shrine, hurry up, Hiroko will leave early from time to time because she has to take care of her sick grandmother. ”

The uncle said as he walked towards the convenience store.

Not far away, Hema saw an old lady pushing a wheelchair with a shopping basket on it—she was supposed to use it as a cart and crutches.

This is probably Grandma Noda.

When the old lady saw the uncle open the door of the convenience store, she smiled and said, "Yamada, you are lazy again." ”

He Ma was about to say that Japan is really all over Yamada, so he heard the uncle sigh helplessly: "Just say that my surname is not Yamada...... Alas, Grandma Noda, you're still the same, aren't you? ”

"Yes, yes, I've been bothering you." The grandmother pushed the wheelchair in front of the convenience store, pulled on the handbrake, and pressed most of her body weight on the wheelchair.

The convenience store uncle, who doesn't have the surname Yamada, picked up the shopping basket in his wheelchair and went into the store.

Grandma Noda turned her head to look at Kazuma and Tamamo, and said with a smile: "Yo, whose descendant is this?" ”

As soon as He Ma opened his mouth, the aunt of the dim sum shop replied: "They are not the descendants of the town, they are college students from Tokyo." ”

"Huh? Student? The current students are growing up so fast, so tall, and this girl, tsk. The old lady was speechless.

Kazuma also glanced at Tamamo, and her silhouette really made people can't help but "tsk".

"You're back for the summer vacation, aren't you?" Grandma Noda continued to nag, "We can catch a big unicorn fairy here that we don't have in Tokyo." ”

It seems that the old lady has been completely confused, and she thinks that Kazuma and them are elementary school students who go back to the countryside for the summer vacation.

This is quite common in Japan.

At first, it was just the early stage of economic take-off, and in order to reduce the burden of urban families, they sent their children back to live with their grandparents in the countryside during the summer vacation.

Later, Japanese scholars made up a justification for this behavior: let children get close to nature and receive natural education.

Later, this became a kind of educational standard, and elementary schools in Japan began to assign various summer vacation topics during the summer vacation, allowing students to observe and record the flowers and plants they planted, or keep a diary of the insects they raised, as part of their summer vacation homework.

This kind of thing gradually became the "Ye Seihui" of the Japanese, which directly gave birth to the series of games "My Summer Vacation", and also influenced games such as "Ranch Story" and "Pokemon".

However, Kazuma glanced at Tamamo again, just how confused an old lady like her must be to treat her as a primary school student.

At this time, the convenience store uncle came out with a basket full of things and put them in the wheelchair: "Okay." See you next week. ”

Grandma Noda took out a stack of small and medium-sized bills and handed it to the convenience store uncle, "Thank you, Yamada." ”

The uncle wanted to talk and stopped, but in the end he chose not to complain about the old lady and accepted the money.

The old lady let go of the wheelchair handbrake, pushed the wheelchair around in front of the convenience store to complete the U-turn, and was about to leave, when she suddenly remembered something and turned her head to look at Kazuma: "By the way, kid, this is not Tokyo, and it is very dangerous at night." No matter how much fun you have, you hear the horn of the village office start playing that ...... It's da~da~da~"

The old lady pieced together the melody with different heights and heights.

"From the New World." And the horse directly said the name of the song.

"Yes, yes, that's it. This kid is so smart! Grandma Noda nodded repeatedly, "When you hear this, you must go home, and the bad boy who doesn't go home will be captured by the demon fox who lives in the mountains." Demon fox, I like to eat children's hearts and livers the most. ”

Tamamo smiled, "Okay, we got it. ”

"Especially the heart of a good-looking girl like you!" Grandma Noda looked at Tamamo and said, "She likes it the most!" ”

"Don't worry, Hema-kun will protect me." Tamamo said and waved to the old lady, "We still have to go to the shrine, and if we don't leave, the shrine will be closed." ”

"Okay, go to the shrine and pay respects, and the shrine god will bless you." Grandma Noda waved her hand, turned around and pushed the wheelchair and walked slowly back along the way she came.

He Ma Mu sent the old lady away, turned to Tamamo and said, "Let's go to the shrine quickly, it seems that we have to pay a good visit to the shrine god of this shrine, otherwise we will be eaten by the evil demon fox." ”

Jinguji Yuzao pursed her lips and put on an awkward expression: "I won't eat it." ”

"Won't it? Youkai must eat people a lot, right? ”

"No, it's not Elder Tang. In fact, there is a paradox in this, haven't you found it?,Generally according to the setting,The big demon can transform into a human for a long time.,The little monster can't maintain a human form.,That means it's more noble to be able to change into a human form.,That's why the monsters will work hard in the direction of becoming human, isn't it?

"Theoretically, youkai shouldn't eat people, after all, no one—no demon would go to great lengths to become food."

He Ma thought about it, and it seemed to be such a reason.

As a human, Kiryu and Ma don't want to be like pork sausages.

It is impossible for a youkai to expect to become its own rations.

Tamamo opened his mouth to change the subject: "The college students who came here last year don't know which university. ”

Kazuma: "Let's look for the mallet snake, and then there is a girl called Dr. Youkai in the group.,I think it's a supernatural or youkai-related club.。 It can't be a paleontological club, right? ”

"If it's a club in the direction of paleontology, there shouldn't be Dr. Youkai mixed in." Tamamo interface.

Kazuma: "Maybe...... Is it a new weird talk workshop from another school? ”

"Why, there shouldn't be a second one for this strange research meeting." Tamamo mercilessly complained about the community she was usurping.

"But don't you think what we're doing now is a bit like the beginning of a new weird story?"

He Ma paused, glanced at the empty streets, and continued: "A town far away from the world, with strange folk customs, and incidents, and the mysterious grandmother gave us something like a warning, and we are alive." ”

Yama raised her eyebrows: "It seems to be ...... Really. ”

"And this cicada chirping, it's perfect for setting off the atmosphere, isn't it?" And the horse made up a sentence.

Tamamo was about to reply, but suddenly stopped and looked up.

Kazuma also stopped, followed her gaze curiously, and saw the loudspeaker of the village office at the top of the telephone pole in front of him.

"Yes, and Dvořák and New World, which are also particularly good for creating a horror atmosphere." He withdrew his gaze and said.

Tamamo: "No, I'm not looking at a horn. ”

Kazuma looked up at the horn again, and this time he finally noticed the crow standing on the wire, which seemed to be a circle larger than a normal crow.

The crow stared at the horse, not at all afraid.

Many crows in Tokyo are not afraid of people, but that is because many people in Tokyo are used to crows.

And the crow theoretically acts in groups like pigeons, and a single crow lands on a telephone pole and stares at people like this, which always gives people the feeling that it is a demon or simply a monster.

So he asked him, "Do you know?" ”

"I don't know. The Raven Tengu I knew was hit by a ghost and died. ”

He Ma was shocked: "Wait, can the Raven Tengu still be killed by the ghosts?" ”

"Yes."

"He's supposed to be a powerful monster, right? What goblin can kill a ravengu? ”

"The Ghost Fighter of the Yoyogi Flight Team of the Air Self-Defense Force."

Is that the ghost!!

Tamamo's face revealed pathos: "His last words before his death were: 'The twin J79 turbojet engines are so fierce!'" ’”

That must be fierce!

"'I'll admit it's stronger, ah, I'd love to try to fly twice as fast as sound, oh.'" ”

Kazuma: "Wait a minute, what's going on with this 'Karma' in the end?" ”

"Hiccup, try to express the scene with onomatopoeia." Tamamo said.

Be serious! Dead people - dead demons, hey!

He Ma was about to complain, when the crow on the top of the telephone pole croaked, fluttered its wings and flew away, under the gaze of the two of them.

A few black feathers slowly fell from the sky.

He Ma caught a piece of feathers and handed it to Tamamo: "Can you tell if this is an ordinary crow?" ”

"I can't see it." Tamamo replied, "I could see it before, but now even I'm 18 years old when I'm always 17 years old." Now, even if I go for an ultrasound or something like that, I look like I'm just an ordinary human. It's getting harder and harder to tell the weird. ”

He pouted, took the feather in his hand closer, and observed it carefully.

It is indeed no different from ordinary feathers.

As long as Tamamo's hair does not return to the state of her ears, it is just the hair of a beautiful girl who has been carefully cared for when she touches it.

Kazuma was about to stuff the feather into his pocket, but Tamamo stopped him: "Don't bring this thing with you, although divination is useless now, it's still okay to find the location of your 'belongings'." I often tell where my glasses are gone. ”

Kazuma looked at the glasses on the bridge of Tamamo's nose, and the appearance of Tamamo who couldn't find the glasses and had to do divination came to his mind - well, it's kind of cute.

Yuzao frowned slightly: "What are you laughing at, it's normal to not be able to find glasses, especially when you are wearing them." ”

More, cuter?

Kazuma scratched his head, in order to keep the image of Tamamo in his mind from collapsing, he decided to change the subject: "In this situation, is it better for me to ask Amao to send the knife over?" Which knife is better for slaying demons? ”

"No, I don't." Yuzao shook his head, "If the strong man of the human race wants to kill the demon, it is enough to have a wooden knife, it has always been like this." Only the weak have to rely on famous knives such as Angang Tongziche. ”

He Ma was speechless, he felt that there were a lot of stories hidden in Yuzao's words, and he was about to ask in detail, but she looked at her watch and urged: "It's not early, hurry up and go to the shrine to have a look, and then go back to the hotel to blow the air conditioner." ”

Kazuma realized that he was already sweating, so he nodded and said, "Okay, hurry up, I'm almost dehydrated, I hope the shrine has water to drink." ”

The two of them took another step and walked towards the shrine.

The big crow that had just flown away flew back and landed on top of the horn, quietly watching the backs of the two.