Chapter 12. The Exorcism Ritual of the Asano Shrine Maiden

So, Asano Ariko was about to perform an exorcism.

Qiao Qiao stood nearby, watching.

He understood his place as an assistant.

Unless Asano Ariko truly found herself in a bind, Qiao Qiao would not intervene.

From a purely financial perspective, less than an hour had passed since their meeting.

Qiao Qiao had already earned 550,000 yen.

A huge profit.

He roughly calculated that as long as this job wrapped up within three hours, he wouldn’t mind being Miss Asano’s assistant for the rest of his life.

Asano Ariko glanced at Qiao Qiao, noticing he was closely observing her every move, and gave a soft snort.

“I won’t let you look down on me.”

She retrieved a set of talismans from her handbag.

Each was inscribed with spells, written in ink infused with her spiritual power.

She had Suzuki Tooru sit inside the bakery, then placed three talismans at each of the building’s four outer corners.

“I’ve set up a barrier. The evil spirit inside won’t be able to leave this area,” Asano Ariko explained, reassuring Suzuki Tooru not to be nervous.

“So that’s how it’s done,” Qiao Qiao mused, stroking his chin.

He had never witnessed a shrine maiden’s methods of exorcism.

In fact, he’d half expected Asano Ariko to pull out a traditional bow and fire off a sacred arrow—just like in the anime.

Asano Ariko caught his glance.

Normally, she would have proceeded by weakening the evil spirit with talismans, then gathering her spiritual power to force it out of Suzuki Tooru, and finally resolving it with more talismans.

But that felt too mundane.

After consideration, Asano Ariko instead took out a black wooden box from her bag.

Inside was a string of bells.

These were Kagura bells.

Unlike the traditional Shichigosan bells, this set held only eight bells.

They encircled the guard of a short sword.

The handle was redwood, adorned at its end with long ribbons of five colors.

“This is a Hoko-saki bell, also known as a sword bell,” Asano Ariko explained, noticing Qiao Qiao’s gaze.

Traditionally, the Kagura bell is a prop used in the sacred Kagura dance.

According to legend, Amaterasu, the goddess who ruled the High Celestial Plain, once hid herself in the Heavenly Rock Cave after being driven to anger by the mischief of her youngest brother, Susanoo.

With her withdrawal, chaos reigned: darkness fell upon the world, demons ran amok, and calamities followed.

Eight million deities gathered by the cave, pleading with the reclusive Amaterasu to set aside her anger and return to the world.

She refused.

Then Ame-no-Uzume stepped forward.

Holding bamboo leaves, she danced atop an upturned barrel.

Her performance was so exuberant that her garments slipped, revealing what ought not be described.

The assembled gods erupted in cheers.

Even Amaterasu, curious, peeked out from her hiding place—only to be seized by another deity and pulled out, restoring light to the world.

A joyous outcome.

Since then, dancing to please the gods became an essential Shinto rite.

Kagura is one such dance.

Qiao Qiao was tempted to quip—was this, perhaps, the earliest recorded public striptease? Was the tradition of seclusion in their country modeled after Amaterasu herself? But myths are what they are.

Tradition deserves respect.

“The golden handguard represents the Yata Mirror, the eight bells symbolize the Yasakani Magatama, and the sword at the top is the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi,” Asano Ariko continued.

As she moved her hand, the bells rang with a melodious chime.

Even at Atsuta Shrine, sword bells are rare and precious ritual implements.

Apprentice shrine maidens seldom touch them; even fully ordained maidens rarely do.

Let alone a sword bell imbued with the spiritual power of the Kusanagi sword, such as the one in Asano Ariko’s hand.

Each branch of Atsuta Shrine holds only one, serving as a surrogate for the sacred object.

To bring one out for an exorcism showed just how indulgent Asano Ariko’s father was.

Qiao Qiao knew nothing of these intricacies.

He could only sense the sheer power of the sword bell.

Even at a distance, an extraordinary aura emanated from it, utterly different from the talismans before.

It was clear that Asano Ariko, apprentice shrine maiden of Atsuta Shrine, wielded formidable ritual implements with ease.

If this was what an apprentice was given, what of a full shrine maiden? Or the high priest?

Qiao Qiao dared not imagine.

His poverty limited his imagination.

Ring—

The bells chimed again, crisp and clear.

Legend has it this sound can communicate with spirits and purify the heart.

Suddenly, Qiao Qiao wondered: if this sound can exorcise evil, could its effects be reproduced if recorded?

He pondered this.

Inside the bakery, Suzuki Tooru’s face turned ashen at the sound.

He covered his ears, but the sound reached straight to his soul.

Asano Ariko stepped into the shop, flicking her wrist once more.

Ring—

The pure bell tones resonated through the air.

Suzuki Tooru collapsed to his knees.

Thick black smoke began to pour from his body.

The smoke gathered and twisted midair, forming a grotesque visage.

From outside, Qiao Qiao watched through the glass display.

In his sight, the black smoke filled the bakery, forming tentacle-like shapes as real as flesh.

These appendages tried to stretch outward but recoiled, as if shocked, when they touched the walls or windows.

The talismans at the four corners flashed, straining to maintain the barrier.

Within the bakery, Asano Ariko was enveloped by the tentacles.

But a light shone forth.

The sword bell in her hand rang again, casting a hazy radiance that shielded her like a barrier.

The tentacles could not reach her.

“Why? Why? Why?” the spirit’s whispers echoed by Asano Ariko’s ear.

“Kill, kill, kill, kill you, kill him, kill all of you, kill, kill, kill.”

The evil spirit’s voice even seeped outside.

Amidst the filth, blood, and nauseating gloom, Asano Ariko stood immaculate.

The sword bell in her hand glimmered.

A long sword, faint yet distinct, appeared in her grasp.

It looked at once slender and hefty, sharp and blunt, pure white and yet chaotic.

Qiao Qiao struggled to describe its form.

Facing the evil spirit, Asano Ariko gently waved her sword bell.

Hum—

A ripple spread out.

Countless tentacles lunged for her, only to be severed by a single sweep of sword-light.

One stroke.

Erased the darkness, scattered the blood, dissolved all resentment.

Whoosh—

A fierce wind swept from the blade, banishing all malice from the bakery in an instant.

Elegant, unhurried, and clean.

As expected of an apprentice shrine maiden from Atsuta Shrine—even her exorcism was so dashing.

Watching Asano Ariko’s performance, Qiao Qiao could not help but sigh.

When would he, too, wield a sword that could fell a hundred demons with a single stroke?

Such skill was beyond him.

Suzuki Tooru, still kneeling, gasped for breath.

His once-pale face regained its color; new vitality surged through him.

“How do you feel, Mr. Suzuki?” Asano Ariko put away the sword bell.

Her own face was slightly pale—clearly, wielding such a tool was not as effortless as it seemed.

She helped Suzuki Tooru back to his chair.

“It feels… like some weight has lifted. I feel much lighter,” he replied.

To his mind, he had suddenly collapsed, then the shrine maiden had shaken some bells, and the symptoms vanished.

Now, he felt as if he’d run a kilometer—exhausted, yet oddly relieved.

He had felt nothing of evil spirits or miasma.

But the transformation in just a few minutes was nothing short of miraculous.

“As expected of an Atsuta Shrine maiden—your exorcism is truly exquisite,” Qiao Qiao said, stepping into the shop as well.

His words made Suzuki Tooru look at Asano Ariko with gratitude.

“The evil spirit is gone. Take this, observe for a couple of days, and if nothing happens, you’ll be fine,” Asano Ariko said gently, placing a red amulet in Suzuki Tooru’s palm.

She was quite pleased with Qiao Qiao’s praise.

Next, Asano Ariko carefully inspected Suzuki Tooru and the bakery again.

Meanwhile, during a lull in their conversation, Qiao Qiao glanced at the bread.

The grotesque amalgam of flesh and tentacle was gone, leaving only delicious, ordinary bread.

Of course, to avoid any risk, it would all need to be disposed of in the end—a waste, but unavoidable.

On his third inspection, Qiao Qiao suddenly stopped.

In a corner of the display, beneath a loaf of bread, he noticed a trace of miasma.

It squirmed like a tiny caterpillar, slowly inching away from the three of them.

A remnant of the evil spirit’s resentment?

Qiao Qiao wondered.

Was it that the shrine maiden had been negligent? Or had she left it intentionally, as a test for him? Or was this spirit unusual?

He quickly dismissed one possibility.

It could not be that she had missed it out of incompetence—someone as professional and academic as her would never make such a mistake.

Indeed, the emergence of this spirit was odd.

Suzuki Tooru had been possessed for no apparent reason, and the spirit had used his bread to spread disaster.

All of this was new to Qiao Qiao’s experience.

Was the shrine maiden leaving behind a trace to track the root cause?

As he pondered, he saw Asano Ariko finish speaking with Suzuki Tooru, preparing to leave the bakery.

She paid no mind at all to the lingering grudge.

Which meant there was only one answer.

This remnant was indeed special.

It could evade the exorcist’s detection.

Qiao Qiao approached the bread.

The wriggling resentment tried to flee, emitting a faint hiss.

Slap—

“What’s wrong?” Suzuki Tooru asked, puzzled as he saw Qiao Qiao clap his hands over a loaf of bread.

“A mosquito.”

Not wanting to worry the client, Qiao Qiao replied calmly.

“There are so many mosquitoes lately?” Asano Ariko, just stepping out the door, turned to look.

As a girl, she was always wary of bugs, but saw no trace of any.

“Maybe summer’s just around the corner,” Qiao Qiao answered, utterly composed.