Chapter 105: I'm Fierce Beyond Measure

Hearing Maki Araki’s words, Qiao Qiao hesitated.

He was just an ordinary high school student who worked part-time as an exorcist.

Even though Miko Asano always addressed him as “teacher,” Qiao Qiao had never actually taught her any exorcism techniques, which made him feel quite ashamed.

Now, Maki Araki was entrusting him with the exorcism demonstration at Shimogamo Shrine during the Gion Festival, and the pressure was overwhelming.

Even with an income of one million yen a day, Qiao Qiao still felt...

“Araki-san.”

“Just call me Maki.”

Maki Araki maintained her pleading posture.

“Maki-san, while I do have some knowledge of exorcism, I’ve never actually taught mikos before, so honestly, I don’t know if I can do a good job.”

Qiao Qiao explained.

“That’s okay. Without your help, Shimogamo Shrine’s exorcism demonstration won’t improve at all. Instead of sinking further, it’s better to take a chance.”

Maki Araki spoke earnestly, looking at Qiao Qiao with sincere eyes.

“I understand.”

Qiao Qiao closed his eyes.

To be honest, he lacked confidence.

If it were just simple exorcism techniques, he had some ideas.

But this exorcism demonstration would be facing renowned shrines like Yasaka Shrine and Fushimi Inari Taisha.

His exorcism skills simply weren’t enough.

Going up against such power was like an egg hitting a rock, which wasn’t Qiao Qiao’s style.

However, since Maki Araki had spoken like this—and with a daily income of one million yen—Qiao Qiao naturally couldn’t refuse.

Come to think of it, Qiao Qiao had always studied how ordinary people could perform exorcisms.

Now, these mikos, though gifted with spiritual power, were essentially no different from ordinary people when it came to vengeful spirits.

Wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to test whether his methods could work?

Speaking of exorcism demonstrations, it was really quite similar to military drills.

Qiao Qiao knew that military exercises sometimes used live ammunition.

Transforming a group of raw recruits into warriors and leading them to victory in exercises was undoubtedly a huge challenge.

If Qiao Qiao couldn’t even train these spiritually gifted mikos into warriors, how could he hope to do any good for ordinary people?

Looking at this group of mikos who bore no resemblance to exorcists, Qiao Qiao fell into thought.

...

At noon, Qiao Qiao and his companions had lunch at the shrine.

Although Suzuka initially said she had reserved a room, Maki Araki warmly insisted on keeping her at the shrine.

After lunch and a brief rest, Qiao Qiao gathered several mikos from Shimogamo Shrine.

In the side hall, four mikos sat opposite Qiao Qiao, along with Maki Araki and the curious Ariko Asano.

Suzuka sat behind Qiao Qiao, browsing a travel guide on her phone about Kyoto.

“I’ve already reviewed your files.”

Qiao Qiao held some personal data on the mikos provided by Maki Araki, including family background, academic performance, a simple social network, and exorcism proficiency.

It was clear that aside from Maki Araki, who had successfully exorcised once a year ago, the others’ records were all negative.

They couldn’t even handle the weakest earthbound spirits.

Rather than calling them recruits, “rookies” was a more fitting term.

“There’s a saying in China: the best way to dispel fear is to face it. According to what Maki-san said, you all harbor fear towards vengeful spirits. So our first step is to eliminate that fear.”

Qiao Qiao said.

“What?” “Vengeful spirits are too scary.” “The bloody appearance gives me nightmares at night.”

The mikos looked uneasy.

After all, to them, exorcism work at Shimogamo Shrine was just an after-school part-time job with little sense of achievement, merely pocket money.

Often failing at exorcisms, they sometimes didn’t even earn that.

If it weren't for their families’ high hopes for their shrine work, many would have quit long ago.

“Actually, vengeful spirits, evil spirits, even youkai, aren’t truly terrifying. Once we understand them seriously, we find they follow patterns and can be comprehended.”

Qiao Qiao snapped his fingers.

“Suzuka.”

“Hmm?”

Hearing Qiao Qiao call her, Suzuka looked up from the Kyoto gourmet guide, bewildered.

“For example, Suzuka here is actually a deer youkai. Suzuka, show them.”

At Qiao Qiao’s words, the mikos glanced nervously at Suzuka.

The four huddled together, fearing Suzuka might suddenly transform into a hideous monster and devour them.

“Even though Qiao-san wants me to demonstrate…”

Suzuka sighed. She was just a three-year-old deer spirit, unable to shift to her true form. How could she demonstrate that?

After thinking for a moment, Suzuka raised her right hand, curling her fingers into claws, and leaned forward slightly.

“She’s coming!” “So scary!” “Don’t come near!” “I-I was wrong, I’ll treat my family better from now on…”

The four mikos immediately clung to each other, eyes fixed on Suzuka.

Suzuka scratched her fingers and struck a ferocious pose.

“Gaooo! I’m super fierce.”

“?”

The mikos had question marks floating above their heads.

Is this the fearsome demon?

Why did it look not scary at all?

Actually, kind of... cute?

“See? Youkai aren’t so frightening.”

Qiao Qiao said seriously.

“To me, all fear of the supernatural stems from the unknown. If everyone studies these mysteries properly, fear will vanish. So please, first download this Exorcist Association app.”

He pulled out a QR code—it was the Tokyo Exorcist Association’s app.

In Kyoto, the Exorcist Association’s influence was weaker; people usually sought help from grand shrines and temples.

The association naturally hadn’t developed an app here.

While the mikos, puzzled, downloaded the app, Qiao Qiao stood, closed the windows, and drew the curtains, dimming the room.

This sudden shift made the mikos uneasy.

Was Qiao Qiao about to summon a vengeful spirit right here for them to experience?

“This app contains information on common supernatural beings and how to deal with them, along with small quizzes. Once downloaded, add my code, and I will supervise your daily quiz completion.”

Qiao Qiao pulled a square device from a box beside him, a tool Maki Araki had brought after lunch.

He glanced at the layout of the side hall and placed the device on a nearby table.

Under the mikos’ watchful eyes, he pressed a button.

Light beamed from one side of the device onto the wall, projecting an image.

“Is that... a projector?”

One miko tilted her head, recognizing the device.

“That’s right. Images are more intuitive than text.”

Qiao Qiao said, as a video title appeared on the wall:

“Ju-On.”