Chapter 90: This Is What Exorcists Are!
"Three-man!"
"Pon!"
Luke swept a glance over Kasumizuki's discard river, holding a mahjong tile in his hand. He propped himself against the table with one hand and yawned.
Yesterday, he had stayed in Miko's dream for a long time. After breaking away from that dream, he had probably only slept for three or four hours, so he had not rested properly at all.
But there was nothing he could do. Miko could not skillfully control her dream yet, so she could not wake herself from a lucid dream through self-suggestion.
And if they used a self-harming method like suicide inside the dream to scare herself awake, then went back to sleep, who knew whether she would enter the dream again?
He also could not leave Miko's dream on his own, in case some sudden change occurred.
So they could only have Miko exhaust her own strength and make the dream collapse as quickly as possible.
After that, he had gone through a simple morning workout, then rushed over to Kasumizuki and Shibuya Jun's place.
He had not even had time to discuss business before these two goods dragged him to the mahjong table.
"Seven-man."
"Don't touch it. I'm calling pon."
Luke directly took the seven-man from Kasumizuki, who sat to his left, then glanced sideways at Shibuya Jun across from him. The guy had already been unable to wait and had lifted a tile, his face showing joy.
"Did I tell you to move? Your hands sure are fast…"
"…Are you in the early stages of dementia or something? Your reaction is so slow, I waited forever!"
Shibuya Jun's joy stiffened. He held the mahjong tile in his hand and refused to put it back into the wall for a long time, then gave an angry muffled snort.
"No choice… hah. Didn't I already tell you? I spent a long time in Miko's dream yesterday, so I didn't rest well today."
Luke casually discarded a two-dot.
"After all, unlike certain exorcists, who draw tiles during the day and draw tiles at night too, but just don't go catch ghosts. If someone didn't know better, they'd think you changed careers. How dedicated~"
Kasumizuki looked at the discarded two-dot and fell into thought.
It seemed she was also within the attack range of that mockery.
"Na."
Shiraishi Sen, who sat to Luke's right, looked worriedly at the three of them.
Kasumizuki sniffed, picked up a tile from the wall, and said to him, "There's nothing we can do about it. After all, we can't watch them every second."
"Besides, I had Sen send guardian spirits to watch over Yuria and Miko. The moment there's news, we can rush over immediately."
"Mm."
Shiraishi Sen nodded heavily.
Luke glanced at the boy, who had both hands tucked between his legs and was staring intently at the mahjong tiles.
Shiraishi Sen had the ability to communicate with spirits in nature and understand their needs and wishes. Because of that, he had some guardian spirits who could help him solve various matters.
His personality was relatively shy and timid. The guardian spirit and companion Luke had mentioned to the ghost driver last time had belonged to Shiraishi, and he had used Shiraishi's guardian spirit to help watch over Miura Yumiko.
"Then at least give me some advice…"
Luke looked at Kasumizuki and said, "Like I told you, regarding Miko's dream, do you think there's a chance it's the cultists?"
"Inside a dream…"
Kasumizuki thought for a moment.
"I'm not sure. Yin-Yang Eyes may mean eyes that communicate with and connect reality to the realm of the dead, but whether they're eyes as an organ or a trait of the soul, nobody knows."
"So I can't tell whether cultists are causing trouble."
"Na."
Shiraishi Sen discarded a tile.
"Pon."
Luke glanced at the East Wind tile and pushed out the two East Wind tiles in his hand.
"Does that temple… or shrine of yours not have any relevant records?"
"Records? No matter how much you flip through them, it's the same stuff over and over. Records about the soul are especially few."
Kasumizuki continued.
"After all, people with Yin-Yang Eyes are already rare. Even in modern times, knowledge related to the soul is still scarce."
"Nobody would randomly experiment on people with Yin-Yang Eyes for no reason. After all, what if something went wrong? Like opening the gate to the realm of the dead! If that happened, we'd have to work overtime for ages."
Luke fell silent for a moment.
"…Are they rare?"
Aside from Kasumizuki herself, he had already seen two of them.
That number did not seem small.
Kasumizuki also fell silent for a moment.
"…Th-this is an accident."
Who could have known that talented people with Yin-Yang Eyes, rare in every era, would suddenly appear in modern times as two at once? And they were even gathered in the same city, at the same school.
Kasumizuki hurriedly added, "And it's also related to technological progress… After all, maybe they seemed rare in the past because communication was inconvenient."
"People had no way of knowing what happened in places too far away. Even if someone had Yin-Yang Eyes, they might not be discovered, right?"
"That makes sense… but that's not important. The main problem is that I can't keep watching Miko's dreams forever."
Luke looked at the one-dot Shibuya Jun discarded.
"Don't move. I won."
"Eh?"
Shibuya Jun was shocked.
"A single wait on one-dot."
Luke pushed down the mahjong tiles in front of him.
"Triplet of round wind, triplet of seat wind. Two han, forty fu. Twenty-six hundred points."
Luke rubbed his head.
Riichi mahjong required him to remember han, and below mangan, he still had to calculate fu. He already had not rested well, and now his head hurt like crazy.
"You discarded two-dot, three-dot, and four-dot, then waited on one-dot?"
Shibuya Jun looked at the two-dot and three-dot in Luke's discard river, speechless.
And so, the headache-stricken Luke immediately interlaced his fingers, leaned back, and chuckled softly.
"In a place where trees grow thick, it becomes a leaf. In a place where snowflakes dance, it becomes a white fox."
"What does that mean?"
"The two, three, and four-dot were merely illusions, like ninjutsu. The one-dot was the true killer."
Luke waved his hand "casually."
"So learn from this, Brother Shibuya."
"I'm pretty sure you only changed your wait later."
Shibuya Jun muttered and took out point sticks.
Luke only smiled and accepted the sticks, not arguing.
They pushed all the mahjong tiles into the automatic table, and the machine began shuffling with a rumble.
He continued asking Kasumizuki, "So, is there any way? I can watch Miko for a day or two, but if this drags on, I really won't be able to hold out."
Kasumizuki thought for a moment.
"I do know someone who has dream-entry methods… but their souls aren't as strong as yours. If someone really plans to do something inside Miko's dream, they might not be able to handle it."
"Also, inside a dream, information can't be sent to the outside world…"
"Ah, I can solve the issue of communicating with the outside world. In that case…"
The mahjong machine quickly finished shuffling the tiles.
The dealer position moved to Shiraishi Sen. He happily rolled the dice, flipped the dora indicator, and began drawing tiles.
Luke looked at Kasumizuki and waited for her suggestion.
"I still suggest you endure for another few days."
Kasumizuki said that.
"Hm?"
Luke was a little confused.
"Why?"
"According to what you said, Miko's dream scenes are in this order: street, bathroom, bedroom, correct?"
Kasumizuki raised three fingers.
"Correct."
"Although I don't know much about dream-related matters, you said that inside Miko's dream, you could modify the dream to a certain extent…"
Kasumizuki explained.
"Then I think the bathroom as a safe zone is very abrupt. Since it is an absolutely safe protective area, why place it after the street and before the bedroom?"
"Why?"
Luke echoed curiously.
"You've seen horror movies, right? When do you think horror movies are the scariest?"
Kasumizuki played a tile while asking.
Horror movies?
Luke thought about it. Although they were exorcists and had seen plenty of ghosts and monsters, they could still feel scared while watching horror movies.
"When you relax?"
He guessed.
"Yes."
Kasumizuki sneakily glanced at Shibuya Jun's mahjong tiles, which were divided into two groups at the front, then discarded a White Dragon.
"Dreams related to the soul are the same. When tension and relaxation alternate, the soul easily becomes fragile."
"So the black shadow in the bedroom is their main method?"
Luke answered directly.
"Yes."
Kasumizuki nodded and continued.
"Although I still don't understand their goal, since they went to the trouble of coloring Miko's dream with this kind of scene rhythm, they must have a purpose."
"But even if they're planning to put on a grand circus inside Miko's dream, we can't let them get what they want."
"And you said Miko unconsciously constructs your image as a guardian of the dream. That means you're basically fighting on home ground inside it."
"So I think you can also construct a similar scene inside Miko's dream to disrupt their rhythm…"
"Even if they notice what you're doing, with your soul ability, they might not be able to handle you inside Miko's dream."
"But if I find someone else who can enter dreams, that will be different."
"So…"
"I think it's best if you endure for a few days yourself. This matter can probably only be handled by you."
Construct a similar scene.
Luke lowered his head and thought.
In Miko's dream, he had tried changing the temperature and environment, but he had not actively constructed a scene.
Still, as Kasumizuki said, he was similar to the guardian of Miko's dream. Inborn, he was practically fighting on home ground.
Tonight, he would try it after entering Miko's dream.
"But the problem of me not getting rest still won't be solved…"
Luke said helplessly.
This kind of lucid dream involved deliberate control over the dream and an increased level of consciousness, which meant more cognitive activity. It consumed more energy and did not let him rest.
"You don't need to worry about that. I estimate they'll make a move within these next few days."
Kasumizuki explained.
"Based on Miko's condition as you described it, even if you hadn't entered her dream, I would have noticed something abnormal after some time. So after they sensed you, they'll definitely act quickly."
"That directly?"
Luke asked in confusion.
"Hmph. What do you think cultists are?"
Kasumizuki sneered.
"Aside from some pitiful idiots with holes in their brains, the rest are just fools who want to use this to flip their lives around. Otherwise, those people will spend their entire lives as society's garbage."
"So the moment they get a chance to bet, they'll impatiently go all in."
"Go to a casino and look around sometime. The gamblers inside are extremely similar to them."
"They put their entire fortune on the gambling table, desperately straining their minds and racking their brains over how to win. They wish they could stake even their souls on a tiny playing card."
"They're as fanatical as madmen, dreaming of reaching the heavens in one step…"
She talks too much while playing mahjong. I'm never playing with this group again.
Shibuya Jun looked speechlessly at Luke and Kasumizuki, who kept talking endlessly, then looked at everyone's discard rivers.
If he wanted to reach tenpai, he had to gamble that the extra isolated tile in his hand would not deal in.
This tile was dangerous.
Shibuya Jun looked at the isolated tile in his hand.
Forget it. Deal in once and you lose once, but back down and you lose for life!
And so, Shibuya Jun resolutely and sneakily slipped a two-bamboo into the discard river.
"And when they see the tile into which they've poured their lives, souls, and everything they have, they will fall into losing everything and plunging into the abyss…"
"So, I win, Shibuya-san."
Kasumizuki, who had long been waiting for Shibuya Jun's tile, picked up that two-bamboo and smiled.
"Sorry, it's only a full flush. Five han, mangan. Eight thousand points."
Shibuya Jun stared blankly at Kasumizuki, speechless.
After a long while, he finally spoke in a daze.
"So all that stuff you said just now… was directed at me, right?"
"How could that be? We're accomplices, aren't we? Hehe."
Kasumizuki beamed as she personally took point sticks from Shibuya Jun, then turned to Luke.
"So those cultists are nothing more than group after group of scum gamblers making their final all-in bets. How could they have any long-term plan?"
"I estimate they'll make their move in the next few days. This afternoon, I'll send you an item that can connect dreams and reality."
"Okay."
Luke nodded in relief and pushed the mahjong tiles into the machine.
Next, the dealer seat came to him.
South round, first hand.
"In short, knowing about Miko's situation ahead of time can be counted as a good thing. Since the snake has already been startled from the grass, I'll act ahead of time too."
Kasumizuki rambled as her hands began drawing tiles.
"When did you prepare?"
He asked in confusion.
"I prepared long ago. I look down on them, but I'm not stupid…"
Kasumizuki said speechlessly.
"What do you take me for? Someone who plays mahjong every day instead of doing proper work?"
Luke glanced sideways at Kasumizuki and said nothing.
A person knew their own character best.
No need to say more.
"That look of yours is a little offensive. Careful, or I'll use Evil Spirit Begone on you."
Kasumizuki also glanced at him.
"So what preparations did you make?"
Luke asked.
"Hehe."
Kasumizuki explained nothing. She only laughed and changed the topic.
"Oh, right. Our shrine is also moving toward modern formalization and standardization lately, so for me to take out an item, the user needs to sign a form."
"Oh, okay."
Luke nodded.
Since she did not say it, he naturally would not ask more.
Taking the form Kasumizuki conventionally pulled out from beneath her miko skirt, Luke spread the paper open and casually swept a glance over it.
"I don't have a pen."
"A pen? I have one here."
Kasumizuki hurriedly reached toward her miko skirt again.
Luke handed the form back to Kasumizuki and said calmly, "Then just sign it for me directly. Sign this shady double contract for me."
"We still need the person…"
Kasumizuki's expression stiffened.
"Actually, it's fine even if you don't sign."
This profiteer was always thinking of ways to scam people.
"Don't be so naive next time. What, you think I can't read?"
Luke started playing, placing another safe tile into the densely packed discard river.
"You're right. It won't happen next time."
Kasumizuki dejectedly discarded a tile and lowered her head toward Shibuya Jun's side, conveniently peeking.
At that moment, Shibuya Jun, who had been lowering his head to look at his crystal ball, casually discarded a tile, then raised his head in panic. His eyes trembled violently.
"Hm?"
Luke looked at him in confusion.
"You peeked at my tiles again!"
Shibuya Jun directly picked up his crystal ball and shouted at Kasumizuki.
"I've been putting up with you for ages!"
Kasumizuki froze, then stood up too.
"Peeking? Do you have any evidence?"
"Do I still need evidence?! Your Yin-Yang Eyes are practically falling onto my crystal ball!"
And so, the two of them harmonized perfectly, knocking over the mahjong tiles while shouting at each other that they should go outside and spar.
Luke immediately turned to Shiraishi Sen.
"What hand do you have?"
That bastard Shibuya had definitely seen that Shiraishi's luck had reached a peak.
"Na!"
Shiraishi Sen showed him the tiles in his hand.
Luke focused and saw that the thirteen tiles in his hand were full of terminals and honors.
Thirteen Orphans.
Silent tenpai on Green Dragon.
He lifted the next tile Shiraishi Sen would have drawn.
Green Dragon.
And so, he turned his gaze toward Kasumizuki and Shibuya Jun.
These two rotten goods…
They specialized in scamming their own people!
This was what exorcists were!
Speaking of which, did using a crystal ball to observe someone else's luck count as cheating in gambling?
"Don't play with them next time. Those two are rotten goods."
Luke said to Shiraishi Sen.
"Mm."
Shiraishi Sen nodded solemnly.
Sitting in his chair, Luke looked at the message Miura Yumiko had sent and replied.
After waiting for a while, Shibuya Jun and Kasumizuki, those two things, finally came back.
"Want to go eat yakiniku? Shibuya already booked seats. He's treating."
Kasumizuki said.
"When did I say I was treating?"
Shibuya Jun froze.
"In ten minutes."
Kasumizuki glanced at him and flexed her fingers.
"I…"
Looking at Kasumizuki and Shiraishi Sen's indignant gazes, Shibuya Jun swallowed twice.
"You're right. I'll book it now."
It seemed Kasumizuki had won that spar earlier.
Shiraishi nodded.
Luke, however, said, "I'll pass. I have plans."
"Eh?"
Kasumizuki looked at him in surprise.
"You actually have plans?"
"What's wrong with that? It's not like I'm unwanted like you people. Looks like being popular really is a troublesome thing."
Luke leaned back.
"Can I smash him?"
Shibuya Jun raised his crystal ball and asked Kasumizuki.
Kasumizuki thought for a moment.
"For the sake of the cultists, spare his life."
…
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