Chapter 131: New Equipment for the Shrine Maidens

The news of the Tadasu no Mori Forest’s "Love-Binding Tree" being burned down overnight quickly spread throughout Kyoto. As the site remained cordoned off, it was difficult for the general public to learn the truth behind the fire. Rumors suggested that the tree was perfectly fine around five or six o'clock that evening, even welcoming a group of visitors. Soon after, that section of the forest was sealed off, and later, people saw thick smoke rising from the woods. By the time the fire department arrived, the blaze had already extinguished itself. The seven-hundred-year-old tree had been reduced to ashes.

Due to the fire, the Fire Department discovered evidence of large-scale illegal logging in the forest, leading them to hypothesize that the blaze was an accident caused by those cutting down the trees. Surveillance footage seemed to corroborate this, capturing a suspicious man who had discarded a cigarette butt near the tree, triggering the fire. The investigation remained ongoing.

"What a chore," Qiao Qiao remarked while drinking miso soup at breakfast, sounding quite contemplative.

"And whose fault was that?" Kitagawa Ryoko, sitting at the adjacent table, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his comment.

"Thanks to the help of Shokichi and his kin, the incident didn't cause any major fallout."

Indeed. The suspicious man caught on camera was actually Shokichi in disguise. While the Shimogamo Shrine could have told the public that the tree they worshipped had been eroded by yin energy and transformed into a malevolent entity, doing so would undoubtedly have invited public scrutiny and mass panic. Therefore, the standard procedure for such incidents was to close the case as an accident—citing something like a gas leak. There were no gas lines in the Tadasu no Mori, so it was a bit troublesome, but it was resolved nonetheless. A cause for celebration.

Today was July 16th—the day before the Gion Festival parade. It was drizzling, and the weather was extremely humid. The Gion Festival technically began on July 1st, but for the shrines, the Yamaboko Float Parade starting on July 17th marked the true beginning. From July 17th until mid-August, spirit-cleansing performances would be held nightly at Mount Hiei for an entire month. This time, the Shimogamo Shrine was scheduled for the performance on August 13th, the third-to-last slot. That would coincide with the Obon Festival. In other words, subtracting the three days Shimogamo Shrine would spend performing at the Gion Festival, Qiao Qiao had less than a month left.

"Time is tight," Qiao Qiao said, finishing his breakfast quickly.

***

In the backyard of the Shimogamo Shrine, besides rows of neatly arranged weapons, five shrine maidens in red and white robes stood in a line.

"After a few days of getting acquainted, I have a general understanding of your specialties and inclinations," Qiao Qiao said, standing before them in a T-shirt. "Since we need to complete our Gion Festival performance arrangements over the next three days, we won't be holding formal training today. Instead, I am going to assign roles and duties."

Qiao Qiao glanced at Sasaki Haruka. "Sasaki Haruka, step out."

"Step out?" The phrasing felt a bit odd, but Sasaki Haruka stepped forward despite her confusion.

"You will serve as the squad leader." The shrine maidens began whispering to one another. Shinoki Maki, having been informed by Qiao Qiao beforehand, showed no reaction. In her view, as long as the Shimogamo Shrine could truly grow, her position didn't matter.

"Next, Kitagawa Ryoko will be the vanguard."

"Vanguard?" Was this a soccer match? Kitagawa Ryoko wasn't entirely sure what he meant.

"Hayami Nanase will be the scout and support. Shinoki Maki, you are the rearguard."

Qiao Qiao looked at the two of them, then turned his gaze toward Hashimoto Kotone. "Finally, Hashimoto Kotone will be the sniper."

*Sniper?* The other four looked at Hashimoto Kotone in unison. Why would a sniper exist in shrine maiden spirit cleansing? Was this some sort of code?

"Any questions?" Qiao Qiao looked at the five.

"Um, I don't really understand," Kitagawa Ryoko asked, raising her hand. "These positions... do they have anything to do with spirit cleansing?"

"Hmm? They certainly do."

Qiao Qiao spoke up. "This is the most popular counter-terrorism squad configuration internationally. It uses the minimum number of personnel to effectively suppress armed forces in an area within the shortest possible time. In my view, counter-terrorism and spirit cleansing are the same. When facing threatening vengeful spirits or even evil spirits, squad-based operations are far more efficient than individual combat."

"I have already reviewed the materials for the spirit-cleansing performance. The requirements involve cleansing a designated area, scouting for potential anomalies, eliminating them, and detecting residual traces. This is consistent with the requirements of counter-terrorism operations."

The five shrine maidens were stunned. The more they listened, the more they felt it actually made some sense.

"...Furthermore, for this specialized spirit-cleansing drill, I have asked an acquaintance to try and produce some simple spirit-cleansing equipment."

Qiao Qiao took a metal disc-shaped object from a wooden box nearby. It had steel nail-like protrusions on the corners and a hollow steel pipe in the center; it was impossible to tell what it was for.

"This is a scatter-charge explosive. Of course, it's different from the ones in games; it has been improved," Qiao Qiao explained. "Most houses in this country are made of wood, which is less sturdy than concrete. This explosive can penetrate standard wooden walls in ten seconds, projecting five charges through the center to the other side of the wall to deal damage to vengeful spirits."

This was inspired by Qiao Qiao playing games with Suzuka. The challenge was how to strike the other side of a wall without destroying its main structure. By clearing the path with these explosives, not only would the spirits be hit, but any traps they had set would also be triggered—a double win.

The five shrine maidens had question marks hovering over their heads.

"And there's this." Qiao Qiao brought out a spider-like object with propellers on its four corners. "This is a small drone unit. It has a maximum control radius of seven kilometers and a battery life of over thirty minutes. With fast-charging technology, it can take off again in as little as five minutes."

"It can capture both standard and infrared footage and supports multi-zoom and coordinated surveillance. Furthermore, the drone itself can carry two specialized micro-anti-tank rockets, providing powerful fire support for teammates at critical moments."

This was a modified version of a drone Qiao Qiao had asked his boss to buy from China. Including the cost of modifications, it was under 500,000 yen—cheap and practical.

The question marks over the shrine maidens' heads multiplied.

"And finally, this." Qiao Qiao patted one of the wooden boxes. "Inside this is heavy weaponry capable of leveling an area, designed for specific needs. If you encounter a situation where a vengeful spirit has merged with a building, you can use this to completely annihilate it."

"Of course, due to its immense power, it takes some time to assemble and is not easy to use. I hope you never have to come into contact with this."

The question marks above the maidens' heads were now so numerous they could no longer fit in the backyard of the Shimogamo Shrine.