Chapter 153: The Chess Game

Outside the city of Kyoto.
Mount Atago.
Deep in the mountains, in a clearing where one could gaze up at the starry sky.
The space suddenly warped slightly.
A figure stepped out from the tear in the fabric of space. Though his footsteps were effortless and composed, a lingering trace of fear remained on his face.
"To think that monster was still in Kyoto," he clicked his tongue, then glanced toward Mount Hiei.
"And that old immortal actually failed to break the seal. This is bad, very bad."
Muttering to himself, he prepared to leave.
Suddenly.
He realized someone was standing right behind him.
There was no sensation of anyone approaching; the person was simply standing there.
Or rather, waiting for him.
Yes, this person had been standing here the entire time, waiting until he arrived through special means.
The moonlight revealed half its face from behind drifting clouds, illuminating the other's appearance.
Dressed in a blue-and-white *kariginu* with a harmless, gentle smile on his face, it was none other than Arai Takashi, a Shinto priest from the Meiji Jingu—no, the Hirano Shrine—correction, the Fushimi Inari... no, the Seimei Shrine.
"!"
He instinctively moved to strike, but Arai Takashi spoke first.
"The incident at Mount Hiei has already been resolved. If you make a move now, are you confident you can evade the pursuit of so many great figures in Kyoto?"
He paused, ultimately suppressing his killing intent.
"Who are you?"
To be able to predict his escape route—the shinto priest before him might look weak in terms of raw power, but he clearly could not be underestimated.
"Who I am doesn't matter. I am merely a nameless pawn. The point is, who placed me here."
Arai Takashi's expression turned solemn at that moment, carrying a fox-like cunning beneath the moonlight.
"That person from the Onmyoryo?"
His face grew gloomy.
Who wouldn't know that this generation's Onmyoryo had produced an peerless genius, an exorcist second only to Abe no Seimei himself, whose divination abilities were unrivaled in the age?
The Seimei Shrine had always maintained close ties with the Onmyoryo, so it was hardly surprising that this priest would recognize that person.
"Everything that happened in Kyoto was long foreseen by my young master—including you instigating those humans affected by anomalies in an attempt to break the seal, which was actually just a diversion to create chaos so you could slip into the Kyoto Imperial Palace and take *that* object. Naturally, it also includes the fact that the anomaly would not cause a major catastrophe, and that not a single person would even die during this disturbance."
"When plotting a conspiracy, the most important thing is not being airtight and foolproof, but ensuring that your objective is achieved no matter what. My young master said that compared to your stunt at Atsuta Shrine, this conspiracy of yours barely passes the passing grade."
Arai Takashi spoke in a flat, matter-of-fact tone, yet with every sentence, the other man's face grew uglier.
"My young master arranged for me to be here instead of a squad of elite exorcists; surely you can understand his intentions."
"What does he want?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"He wants to play a game of chess with you."
Arai Takashi smiled.
"A game of chess?"
He was momentarily stunned.
It was the first time a mere human had ever said such words to him.
A mere human.
He almost felt like laughing.
"My young master said he very much looks forward to crossing swords with you in October."
Arai Takashi's next words wiped the smile from his face entirely.
He gave Arai Takashi a deep, lingering look.
Then he turned and left, never looking back.
Arai Takashi stood in place, tilting his head up to gaze at the full moon.
"How on earth am I supposed to get down the mountain?"
He sighed in annoyance.
The commotion on the final day of the Exorcism Martial Arts Tournament had finally settled down in the dead of night.
Thanks to the prompt reactions of Kojo and the shrine maidens of the Shimogamo Shrine, the ritual meant to break the seal was never completed.
The ancient great yokai buried deep beneath Mount Hiei was once again locked away within its seal.
Following this, the Kyoto Exorcism Association conducted a thorough search and reinvestigation of Mount Hiei.
Though the final official report was not yet out, one thing was certain: the great yokai sealed here was an ancient entity from before the dawn of human civilization.
An entity of that magnitude possessed immense power, capable of even altering the weather.
Moreover, due to the passage of countless years, the seal had loosened somewhat due to earthquakes and other natural causes.
As a result, the yokai's will had been able to influence vulnerable humans to a certain extent.
Perhaps that was the root cause of the tragic incidents that had previously occurred on Mount Hiei.
Over thirty shrines, including Yasaka Shrine, along with various temples in Kyoto and the Onmyoryo, jointly renewed the seals on Mount Hiei.
At least for the short term, there was no need to worry about the seal being breached.
Owing to their stellar performance in the Exorcism Martial Arts Tournament, and the widely witnessed spectacle of utilizing rocket-propelled grenades to shatter the barrier, Shimogamo Shrine inexplicably became a hub where various Kyoto exorcism organizations flocked to visit, exchange knowledge, and study.
They even managed to recruit a large number of young shrine maidens in the process.
Watching the figures of those young shrine maidens practicing military postures under the scorching sun, Kojo felt a deep sense of gratification.
The reward of one million yen per day was soon credited to his account.
This was the first time Kojo's bank balance had ever hit eight figures.
Aside from the compensation from Shimogamo Shrine, the Kyoto Exorcism Association, Nashinoki Shrine, and others had also generously rewarded him.
The chief priest of Nashinoki Shrine had even offered to let his daughter accompany Kojo to Tokyo to study, though Kojo politely declined.
"In the end, we didn't even get a chance to see the fireworks festival this year."
On the Shinkansen ride back, Asano Arisu looked out the window, looking rather crestfallen.
Not only had they missed that particular fireworks display, but they hadn't even gotten a clear look at the "fireworks" their teacher had set off either.
It was genuinely regrettable.
"Suzuka saw them, though!"
Suzuka, sitting on the opposite side, swung her legs back and forth as she spoke.
"Suzuka wore a yukata with her friends and watched the fireworks by the Kamo River. They were suuuuper pretty, heehee."
She exaggerated excitedly.
"Do you want Suzuka to send you a few photos?"
They really do get along well, Kojo thought.
He picked up his phone and checked his balance once more.
A profound sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.
With this much money, he could upgrade a lot of his equipment and purchase even more powerful exorcism tools.
To be completely honest, after experiencing the thrill of modern weaponry at Shimogamo Shrine this time, Kojo found it hard to forget that feeling.
As expected, having good gear made things infinitely simpler.
Thinking of this, Kojo felt an eager itch to consult with his boss about new acquisitions.
Just then, a new message notification chimed on his LINE app.
It was from Miss Sakura.
First, she offered her warm regards regarding Kojo's imminent return, followed by two pieces of news.
The first was that, due to Kojo's stellar performance in Kyoto—and the fact that he had sacrificed his precious summer vacation—Kyoto authorities had decided to gift Kojo and his companions an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii, with the dates left entirely to Kojo's discretion.
"Oh! Hawaii? We're going, we're definitely going, Suzuka wants to go!"
Suzuka squealed in delight.
Kojo paid her little mind and continued reading the message.
The second piece of news concerned a new trainee-guidance commission from the Tokyo Exorcism Association.
Because Kojo had successfully trained the previously weak Shimogamo Shrine team into the champions of the Exorcism Martial Arts Tournament, many people in Tokyo—even though they didn't yet know the full story behind the scenes—were eager to have Kojo act as a senior mentor to guide their own children in their exorcism studies.
*Kojo-san, this is a child I know well, so please try not to corrupt her,* Miss Sakura had added at the end.