"Yu? Where are you two going? Hmm? Where is Eriri?"
Nakano Reina, who was walking ahead, noticed that Yu and Ichika were heading in the opposite direction and asked them somewhat confusedly.
"Oh, Eriri said there's a manga stall over there and that she wants to take a look. I'm thinking of going to have a look too."
Hearing this, Nakano Yu turned around and pointed somewhere in the distance down the street. Taking advantage of the fact that Nakano Reina and the others were ordinary people and couldn't see far away, he said.
"I see. Then you two go ahead."
Hearing that, Nakano Reina lightly nodded her head. She was quite surprised that Eriri, who looked so refined and reserved, would like manga. However, everyone has their own hobbies, and as a teacher, she wouldn't say much about it.
Only Sayuri, who was standing nearby, felt that something was wrong and cast a suspicious glance toward Nakano Yu and Ichika.
Indeed, Sayuri knew that her daughter liked manga and liked drawing them. Of course, reading and drawing were not the same thing, but that was a secret. In front of others, Eriri's persona was that of an elegant mixed-race girl; she would never show interest in manga in front of strangers.
But what Nakano Yu had just said was… Eriri said it? Would that girl really tell him something like that?
Thinking about it, Sayuri became increasingly uneasy, but she didn't say anything.
After all, Nakano Yu had no reason to lie to her, and with Nakano Yu here, she believed that nothing bad should happen.
"Ichika, stay with Mother and the others for now. I'll go deal with the matter involving Eriri."
Noticing Sayuri's suspicious gaze, Nakano Yu finally realized the flaw in his words. He had been too confident, assuming that everyone knew Eriri liked manga.
Sawamura Sayuri had probably already become suspicious, but it wasn't a big problem. For now, he would let Ichika stabilize the situation. He had to quickly find Eriri's location.
Thinking of that, Nakano Yu's aura immediately covered the entire Ukiyoe Street. Very quickly, he found Eriri's aura, but… beside Eriri, Nakano Yu also sensed an aura similar to a Heretic God, though not as powerful as a true Heretic God.
"Is that a divine beast? Why would a divine beast appear here?"
Muttering to himself, Nakano Yu felt confusion and suspicion. Normally, a divine beast would appear in this world together with a Heretic God, not as an independent being. And why had that divine beast taken Eriri away?
Nakano Yu didn't really understand, but he would find out everything later when he met Eriri and that divine beast.
"Yu, you have to be careful."
Ichika held the young man's arm, her voice slightly worried.
"Don't worry."
Patting Ichika on the head, Nakano Yu turned around and walked back along the path he came from, disappearing into the crowd soon after.
Watching Nakano Yu leave, Ichika took a deep breath, and her eyes became deep, as if she were thinking about something.
Maybe… because the young man had only just returned, and already had to fight again.
"Hey, Reina, don't you think… well, that your eldest daughter and Yu have become a little too close?"
Seeing the intimate actions of Nakano Yu and Ichika, Sayuri poked Nakano Reina's arm and asked.
"Well… Yu isn't my biological child, so they're free to love each other, and their feelings developed over time."
Hearing that, Nakano Reina pretended to think for a moment, then answered with a light smile.
"Huh? Free love?"
Hearing Nakano Reina's words, Sawamura Sayuri was obviously surprised, but the surprise lasted only a moment before turning into disappointment.
She hadn't expected that Nakano Yu was already together with Nakano Ichika. Truly, the saying was right — first come, first served. It seemed her Eriri had no luck.
By the way, Nakano Yu wasn't the child of Nakano Reina and Nakano Maruo, but adopted? Hmm… thinking about it carefully, that made sense. After all, the various things Nakano Yu could do weren't something an ordinary person could achieve.
Even though Nakano Reina and Nakano Maruo were both exceptional, it was still a little unbelievable that they would have such an abnormal son.
Since he wasn't their biological child, then there was no problem with them being together… Wait?! But if Nakano Yu and Ichika were together, then what about the eldest daughter of the Katsura family, who was engaged to Nakano Yu?
Hmm~ But then again, it was Nakano Yu; it was normal for him to be a bit of a womanizer. However, the extent of his womanizing surprised Sawamura Sayuri. Fortunately, as an experienced person who had read a lot of adult manga, she quickly recovered.
Casting a glance at Nakano Reina beside her, Sawamura Sayuri secretly thought that she had to learn more about Nakano Yu's everyday behavior. Although she truly wanted to match Nakano Yu with Eriri, it would be terrible if he turned out to be scum who played with other people's feelings and bodies.
Naturally, Nakano Yu was unaware of Sawamura Sayuri's thoughts at this moment. After separating from Nakano Reina and Ichika, Nakano Yu disappeared from their sight, then turned behind a corner. Moonlight flashed, and his figure instantly appeared on the rooftop of a tall building.
"Is that the shrine?"
Standing on the edge of the rooftop, Nakano Yu narrowed his eyes and muttered.
Nakano Yu knew that shrine; it was dedicated to Ebisu, the god of fishing and wealth. However, Nakano Yu didn't remember anything unusual about that shrine, but he really could sense an aura similar to a Heretic God, which meant that the divine beast was coming from inside the shrine.
"Ebisu's divine beast? What could it be?"
Nakano Yu muttered thoughtfully. As soon as his words fell, his figure suddenly disappeared into the moonlight.
As for Ebisu, the god of fishing and wealth in Japan, Nakano Yu was actually very familiar with him. After all, Japan was an island nation, and most cities were located along the coast, so Ebisu, who governed fishing, was extremely popular.
His fame even surpassed Tsukuyomi, one of the Three Noble Children.
However, in the myths about Ebisu, Nakano Yu didn't remember any divine beasts appearing. If there were any, then they were only sharks and dolphins mentioned under Ebisu's authority over fishing.
But Nakano Yu didn't believe it was sharks or dolphins. Ebisu, after all, was not a god of the sea; his authority over those sharks and dolphins only applied to the moment they surfaced above the water.
After all, in Japanese mythology, Ebisu was the god of fishing, and fishing was inseparable from boats. Later, his domain gradually expanded to include everything that floated on the sea.
So rather than saying that sharks and dolphins were Ebisu's divine beasts, it would be more accurate to say that Ebisu merely controlled them during that brief moment.
Thinking about that, with the help of the Moon Authority, Nakano Yu instantly arrived inside the shrine. However, the moment he landed in the shrine, a pungent smell of incense and a fishy odor rushed into Nakano Yu's nostrils.
Sensing the fishy odor, Nakano Yu became suspicious again.
Could it be that the divine beast really came from the sea? That fishy smell was too strong.
His gaze swept around as Nakano Yu observed the people inside the shrine. Today was the fireworks festival, so an unprecedented number of people had come to the shrine. However, those people's faces were full of smiles; it was as though there was no strong fishy smell in the air at all…
But Nakano Yu knew that those people's senses had been affected. No one had even noticed his sudden appearance, let alone the fishy smell.
"What a strange fellow."
Pressing his lips together, Nakano Yu immediately walked in the direction of the aura he sensed.
However, just as Nakano Yu was about to step forward, a figure appeared in front of him and blocked his path.
"Lord Nakano, greetings. I apologize for using such methods to bring you here."
The figure was an elderly grandmother dressed in miko priestess clothing. The old woman bowed to the young man and spoke.
"Get to the point."
Casting a glance at the old woman, Nakano Yu confirmed that she was only an ordinary person, so he slightly frowned and spoke.
"T-this… please, follow me."
Seeing how directly Nakano Yu asked, the old woman obviously knew very little. She paused, then after thinking briefly, turned around and motioned for the young man to follow her.
Nakano Yu didn't waste time; he didn't even need the old woman to guide him, instead directly walking toward the direction he sensed.
Compared to others, Nakano Yu trusted his own senses more, because they would never lie to him.
Relying on his senses, Nakano Yu quickly arrived in front of the shrine's main hall. However, he didn't enter inside, but instead circled around the main hall and went to the backyard.
The moment he arrived in the courtyard, Nakano Yu saw Eriri comfortably sitting on a lounge chair and reading manga, and… a cat sitting on the stone table beside Eriri?
The moment he saw the cat, Nakano Yu confirmed that it was the divine beast he had sensed. Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and used Wind to control the cat.
Under the control of Wind, the cat had no ability to resist and was carried by the Wind directly in front of Nakano Yu.
"I heard you were looking for me?"
Looking at the cat, Nakano Yu showed a playful smile as he observed it. This cat was very weak, only slightly stronger than an ordinary human. Strictly speaking, it couldn't even be considered a true divine beast, but Nakano Yu really did sense the aura of a divine beast from it.
"Great Campione, I apologize for rudely taking your friend away while you were distracted. I only did it in order to lure you here. I am truly sorry."
As if sensing that Nakano Yu had no intention of killing it, the cat opened its mouth and spoke in human language, with an extremely respectful attitude.
"Are you Ebisu's divine beast?"
Ignoring the cat's polite words, Nakano Yu directly got to the point.
"Yes."
The cat nodded and answered very directly, but before its voice faded, it added:
"Not completely. The real me is already dead; I just don't know why I appeared in this world in this form."
"Hmm, continue."
Nakano Yu saw that the cat did not seem to be lying. He glanced at Eriri, confirmed that she was unharmed, then wanted to see what this fellow was actually trying to do.
"I apologize for interrupting your enjoyment of the festival, but I want to ask you for a favor, even if it costs me everything."
The cat apologized once again and, without any further hesitation, directly stated the reason why it had done all of this.
"Help with what?"
Nakano Yu raised an eyebrow and asked the cat what kind of help it was seeking. However, the cat's next words slightly stunned him:
"I want to ask you… to kill Ebisu!"