"The thing is, my name is Katō Yōhei, and my brother Nobuyoshi yearned to be a kendo master. He once became a disciple of Domon, the head of the Hyakunen Ryū style..."
"But Domon looked down on my brother, saying he wasn't suited for swordsmanship. My brother was deeply offended and practiced day and night. Not long ago, he finally defeated Domon's prize disciple, proving himself."
"However, after that, he suddenly began acting strangely, like a completely different person. Yet, outwardly, there was no sign of anything wrong. I believe he's been possessed by an evil spirit. Lady Yae Guuji, only you can save my brother. Please, you must help him..."
Katō Yōhei pleaded with folded hands, his expression earnest as he begged Lady Yae Guuji for assistance.
"Hmph, hmph... there aren't that many evil spirits. It's only natural for your brother to feel a bit lost after losing his lifelong goal. If you ask me, you could just ignore him, and he'd probably be fine in a few days..."
Yae Miko said with a chuckle. Using her kitsune arts, she had already divined the approximate nature of what possessed the brother.
Moreover, her suggested solution wouldn't be fatal, merely causing some discomfort.
"No, Guuji-sama, if you saw him, you would know that this is absolutely not a state of mere dejection!"
Katō Yōhei disagreed, the image of his brother's frenzied demeanor deeply etched in his mind, constantly agitating his nerves. It was nothing like the dejection Yae Miko described.
"Hmph, alright, alright. Then tell me, when was it that your brother had his spar with Domon's disciple?"
"About... five days ago?"
"Hmm? Five days ago, you say..."
"Guuji-sama, he's been in this strange state for so long! I'm truly worried! My brother's and my greatest wish is to one day found our own school, just like Domon. Our dream absolutely cannot be derailed at this point!"
"Wait a moment, I'm getting confused. Do you want to save your brother? Or do you want to achieve your dream and establish a school?"
Facing the agitated Katō Yōhei, Yae Miko squinted and posed the most crucial question.
"This... aren't they the same thing?"
Katō Yōhei's gaze darted away as he stammered.
"Oh, right. Have you heard any interesting rumors recently? Could you tell me about them?"
Seeing Katō Yōhei's unusual reaction, Yae Miko's suspicion deepened.
"Wh-what rumors? I... I haven't heard anything!"
"Ah, what a pity."
Yae Miko sighed, truly disappointed. She had given Katō Yōhei multiple opportunities to confess and an easy way out, but he hadn't taken the bait.
"Guuji-sama, please stop changing the subject. This is a matter of life and death, so please, you must help!"
At this point, Katō Yōhei, who thought he could pull the wool over their eyes and was harboring ulterior motives, only wished for Lady Yae Guuji to act quickly.
"Alas, fine. I'll take a trip with you then. Feng Yi, are you interested in coming along?"
Yae Miko looked at Feng Yi, who had been spectating from the side.
"Let's go together. The matter I wanted to discuss with you happens to be related to this..."
Feng Yi nodded and descended the mountain with Yae Miko.
His body felt tired from the recent intense activity, and Feng Yi thought a walk would help relax his muscles and benefit his physical and mental health.
'I'll just consider it accompanying Yae Miko on a journey...'
This was Feng Yi's thought process.
Katō Yōhei led the way, his steps quickening as he anxiously hurried to a large tree near绀田村 (Konda Village).
"That's strange, my brother often meditated here a few days ago, but he's not here today!"
Katō Yōhei looked around, confirming once more that his brother was nowhere to be seen. He frantically paced like a headless fly, worried that his brother's 'condition' had worsened.
"Meditated?"
Although Feng Yi had some inkling, upon hearing of a swordsman who meditated, his mind couldn't help but conjure an image of... that Sword Saint, Master Yi, who could reduce damage and heal himself with his ultimate.
"Yes, that's a habit he suddenly picked up after defeating Domon's disciple. He often sat there alone, muttering to himself, which was quite eerie... But now is not the time for that. Given his state, where could he have gone?"
Katō Yōhei gave a brief explanation, then broke into a sweat from anxiety. He had managed to invite Lady Yae Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, and he couldn't afford to fail now!
"Hmm, that is indeed a problem. If we can't find your brother, we can't perform an exorcism, can we? So, Katō, whatever your name is, go find your brother first. And while you're at it, get us some salt, as we'll need it for the exorcism..."
Yae Miko waved her hand, dismissing Katō Yōhei.
"Okay... Okay, I understand! I'll go right now!"
Hearing that Lady Yae Guuji hadn't given up on helping his brother, Katō Yōhei quickly agreed and ran off to find him.
"Feng Yi, you've been watching for a while. You must have noticed something amiss, right?"
After Katō Yōhei was sent away, Yae Miko asked with a smile.
"Yes, I was just about to tell you. That book, 'The True Diary of Spirit Seeking,' suddenly appeared and quickly became popular throughout Inazuma. It contains a wish-granting incantation that is related to today's exorcism. And I believe you can guess who the mastermind behind all this is – that cultured gentleman who excels at storytelling, Yūraku-sai..."
Feng Yi spoke slowly as he strolled with Yae Miko along the edge of the village.
"As expected of you. I just divined that this was related to the lonely souls beneath the Divine Sakura tree, and you've already deduced the culprit... Yūraku-sai? Unexpected, yet entirely plausible. Thinking about it, only that old fox skilled in storytelling could write a bestseller that outshines my Yae Publishing House..."
Yae Miko sighed in admiration. Although Feng Yi's current strength was less than a ten-thousandth of his power six hundred years ago, his foresight ability still deeply impressed her.
From the moment 'The True Diary of Spirit Seeking' first appeared, Yae Miko had become wary.
Of course, initially, it was due to her instincts as an editor, her keen sense for future bestsellers.
Later, when the wish-granting incantation was verified by numerous readers, and the light novel became an overnight sensation in Inazuma, outselling Yae Publishing House's works, Yae Miko began to take it seriously.
She personally verified the wish-granting incantation the night before last and discovered that it was a spell to summon lonely souls. Moreover, most of these souls were Inazuman heroes who perished five hundred years ago during the war against the Abyss Order...