At eight o'clock in the morning, when Sonoko Ozawa fell asleep, Hoshino packed up his belongings and went out.

She was carrying a brown mesh women's leather bag, which originally belonged to Megumi Ozawa.

It contains a "de-bunding" for cutting fish, as well as a shorter fruit knife.

In addition to this, there are other things such as chili powder, and Hoshino originally wanted to find anti-wolf spray, but considering the age and place of Ozawa Village, he had to give up in the end.

"Whew-"

The moment he walked out of the hallway, Hoshino realized that even though he was ready, he still felt nervous.

She's technically "weak", especially in Ozawa Village, and she may have to consider the hatred that Takuto Ozawa attracts.

Once again, she wondered if she had made the wrong choice - whether she should bring Ozawa Sonoko with her.

"Is it because you have too much contact with this bastard Keisuke Aoi and you are also infected?"

She stepped out, no longer hesitating.

"Keisuke Ao, if you're still secretly watching, you'd better just shut up and watch!"

……

The village roads of Ozawa Village were empty, there were traces of congealed blood on the ground, and the doors of some houses were also open, and there were broken furniture and dolls scattered without the smell of a living person.

Hoshino cautiously walked towards the shrine, and as she walked the way she had come, she noticed that the Jizo on the side of the road had disappeared, and further on, a charred corpse lay on the side of the road.

The cause of death could not be seen, and only the gender could be roughly distinguished.

Hoshino gasped slightly, avoiding the corpse, and came to the torii gate below Toyotsu Shrine.

The torii gate has also been torn down, and most of the red paint remains with scorch marks.

On the stone steps is a poem with distorted handwriting smeared with blood:

Hoshino bypassed the bloodstains and climbed the stairs, alert for possible people.

But until she came to the shrine, she didn't see any other living people.

Toyotsu Shrine seems to have become a forbidden place, and no one dares to approach it.

Hoshino also noticed a hint of abnormality—even the sounds of birds and beasts disappeared from the mountains and forests.

Does this mean that the power of the god Toyojin has begun to recover?

That polluted power......

Hoshino quickened her pace, and she walked to the end of the stairway, the stone statues on both sides had turned black, and the original deer head had become hideous and terrifying, one holding a sharp blade and the other holding a human head.

On one side of the worship hall, the pond of the Tesuisha was chiseled and leaked dark red sewage, and on the other side, the wooden frame on which Ema was originally hung was torn down and set on fire, burning the wish on it.

The worship hall, the storehouse, and the house of Lord Kurosawa in front of it were all burned down, and only the main body was still standing, and a large part of the walls had been burned down and collapsed.

At the back of the worship hall, there used to be a sacred tree tied up with a rope, and the canopy was very luxuriant, but now it has also been cut down.

Hoshino made sure that there was no one else in the ruins before he began to explore carefully.

At this time, the sky began to gradually become overcast, and after a while, it began to rain.

The torrential summer rain was swept down by the wind, kissing the land vigorously, trying to wash away the sins and filth on the ground, and bringing everything back to order.

The ruined shrine still seems to have the residual heat of the fire, and when it is poured by the rain, it makes a "sizzle" sound.

Hoshino took his umbrella out of his bag and held it open to keep out the rain.

But that sorrow has spread like the rain spreading on the ground.

When she walked into the worship hall, there were roof tiles on the pillars of the gate to protect her from the rain, but the inside was mostly made of wood, so it was basically burned down, and the shrine in her dream was also burned to charcoal.

“……”

Hoshino's gaze quickly swept over the worship hall to make sure there was no danger of collapsing for the time being.

Then she saw dozens of coins in the wreckage of the cash drawer, no one cared about them, picked them up, and left them to be smeared with rain and soot to lose their metallic luster.

Hoshino picked up one and confirmed that it was the one he had thrown in.

She put the coins in her purse, then tried to look over the broken beams to inspect the inside of the worship hall.

The rain gradually became heavier, and the residual heat in the ruins was completely taken away, making Hoshino gradually feel the cold.

The rain hit the roof tiles and bare walls, making a thin, dense sound, as if someone was hiding outside the wall and whispering.

Hoshino slowly walked to the place where the shrine had been placed, took out the key that Keisuke Aoi handed him, closed his eyes and began to wait.

"Answer me, wee."

In the long silence, Hoshino heard a small sound coming from inside the half-charred beam, as the rain soaked into it, filling the void and changing the weight.

Maybe in the next second, she will be buried inside, dying of nothing.

Then, suddenly, she felt an extremely cold hand snatch the key from her palm.

Before she could open her eyes, another pair of furry hands covered her eyes.

In the next moment, the festival parade was full of music.

Shamisen, neon koto, harmonica, conch shellfish, shakuhachi, taiko drums......

The melodious music mixed with Hoshino's indistinguishable sounds, but you could feel the festive atmosphere in it.

The hand covering her eyes let go, and she felt something jump off her.

Hoshino opened her eyes, and she saw a lifelike wood-carved monkey, wearing a strange red mask, scratching her ears and cheeks excitedly, and the expression on the mask would change according to its thoughts.

Next to the monkeys, there are mountain birds, deer, and bears, and a series of animals carved into the beams of Toyotsu Shrine have been "revived", singing and dancing with human instruments.

Their bodies are still wooden, but most of them are dressed in human sacrifice costumes, and their faces are all wearing various strange masks without exception.

The monkey dragged Hoshino's key in his hand, tossing and throwing it around, and from time to time he turned his head to beckon Hoshino to follow.

Hoshino looked at this bizarre and strange picture and stopped.

In front of her, there was a brightly lit stone path, which was exactly the direction in which the animals were going.

Behind her, there was also a stone path, unlit, and very dim.

Which side should she choose?

When the monkey saw that she had not followed, he barked in great anxiety.

Gradually, the other animals stopped and turned around, staring at Hoshino with their masked eyes.

"Chirp!"

"Chirp!"

The monkey tried to break out of the group, but in the end he stopped until all the animals turned around, shook their heads again and played the lavish music of the festival, deciding to leave Hoshino behind.

"Please take me to Cry!" Hoshino shouted at them, "I want to save her!" ”

The music stopped again, and all the animals turned their heads, and the expressions on their masks began to become more eerily distorted, and blood-colored liquid continued to drip from them.

"Is it ...... Born sinful? ”

Their voices were low and eerie, and they couldn't even hear the syllables clearly, but just by saying them, it was as if they were grabbing Hoshino's heart at once, causing her body to stiffen instantly.

"Is it ...... Predestined to die? ”

"Is it ...... Right or wrong? ”

"Is it ...... Love and hate have a price? ”

Now, how can human beings be trusted again?

They didn't just crush Hoshino to show mercy, right?

Hoshino didn't know how to answer these questions, but she sensed if the animals had the ability to lead her to Cryko.

"Please."

Without hesitation, she took the coin out of her purse, then solemnly bent down and placed it on the ground.

"I pray to you that you will take me to the weeping son."

"Please respond...... My prayer. ”

Some people died, but not completely......