Chapter 168: Qiao Qiao has arrived to rescue the hostages!

What is this?
What is going on here?
Where am I?
What just happened?
A sharp, stinging pain pierced Kamo Akira’s eyes, and the dazzling glare forced him to shut them involuntarily.
At the same time, a shrill, deafening noise assaulted his eardrums.
For a moment, Kamo Akira’s stomach churned violently. The red wine he had just drunk and the food he had eaten rushed up into his throat. He felt as though his temples were about to burst, and his entire head was battered by the wall of sound, making it impossible to think.
Right at that moment.
A figure appeared at the doorway.
But Kamo Akira was already beyond resistance.
Bang—
Qiao Qiao fired first. A rubber bullet struck Kamo Akira in the flank, twisting his face in agony as he collapsed to his knees in pain.
Bang, bang, bang, bang—
The next four shots were aimed at his legs and arms.
Kamo Akira felt as though he had been beaten several times with a baseball bat, and a piercing, agonizing pain radiated from the spots struck by the rubber bullets.
"Don't move. Raise your hands and put them behind your head."
Accompanied by Qiao Qiao's warning, the muzzle of a gun pressed firmly against the back of Kamo Akira's head.
"...... Wh-what is this?"
Kamo Akira was still completely bewildered.
What happened to the fair, just, and open spiritual-cleansing duel between exorcists that was promised?
Why are there guns, why are there explosives, and why is there a flashbang?
This is practically a terrorist attack!
Are you by any chance a mercenary from Afghanistan, raised by the KGB, disguised as a student to protect a young girl in some secret organization?
Kamo Akira could hardly move now. He felt as though he might have broken bones, and five bullets had struck different parts of his body, momentarily making him forget even the sensation of pain.
"Shrine Maiden Asano, are you alright?"
While binding Kamo Akira securely with nylon cable ties, Qiao Qiao glanced at Asano Arisu, who was hiding under the table, having managed to avoid the worst of the flashbang's effects only by covering her ears and closing her eyes.
This girl learns quickly.
Qiao Qiao felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
"I—I'm fine."
Asano Arisu crawled out from under the table.
"That's good."
Qiao Qiao nodded.
"Teacher, did you come here specifically for me?"
Asano Arisu looked at the gun in Qiao Qiao's hand.
"Of course. Based on the clues I gathered, I deduced that you might have been kidnapped, so I carried out a rescue operation."
"The security measures for this villa are excellent, and it was impossible to break through without alerting the owner. Therefore, I had no choice but to adopt such a direct, frontal assault."
"It's a great thing that the hostage wasn't harmed, Shrine Maiden Asano."

Hearing Qiao Qiao's words, Asano Arisu suddenly felt a flutter of happiness. But seeing Kamo Akira lying on the floor, she quickly spoke up to explain.
"Um, actually, Teacher, I wasn't really kidnapped. I was just invited here as a guest by Mr. Kamo Akira."
"A guest? But his Shikigami attacked me first."
Qiao Qiao maintained his vigilance and said in a deep voice.
"Well, about that... um, it's because Mr. Kamo Akira has lived in Hawaii for a long time and is very curious about Wa's spiritual-cleansing techniques, so he wanted to spar with you, Teacher."
Asano Arisu explained with a troubled expression.
She had tried to dissuade him, but Kamo Akira simply wouldn't listen.
"I see."
Qiao Qiao casually grabbed a well-preserved vase from the room, performed a brief spiritual connection, and immediately unraveled the whole story from beginning to end.
"I apologize. It seems I wronged you."
Qiao Qiao bowed his head in apology to the bound Kamo Akira.
"Not at all, not at all. I also had parts where I was in the wrong."
Kamo Akira's mouth twitched.
He had seen many exorcists in books and on television.
But someone of Qiao Qiao's type—this was his first time meeting one!
It was completely different from the elegant, relaxed, and effortless exorcism in Kamo Akira's mind.
To use a single word to describe it.
Terrifying.
Although Qiao Qiao was apologizing to him now.
Who knew if he would retaliate later?
Kamo Akira had watched television drama plots.
In situations like this, if Qiao Qiao beat him up, his father would probably step forward; if his father couldn't win, his grandfather would have to step up.
Beat the small one, and the old one comes out.
In the end, his whole family would be ruined.
Therefore, Kamo Akira chose to endure.
The Kamo family had managed to linger on since the Heian period entirely thanks to their mastery of the art of cowardice.
In the past, Kamo Akira didn't believe it.
Now, he chose to be a coward.
"Qiao-san, could you... please untie this first?"
Kamo Akira asked, forcing a full face of smiles.
"Sorry, I'll untie it right away."
Qiao Qiao efficiently sliced the nylon cable ties with a tactical dagger. The practiced movement made Kamo Akira shudder involuntarily.
"The spots hit by the rubber bullets might bruise a bit, but as long as you visit the hospital promptly, it'll be fine."
He was even given such instructions.
"Th—Thank you."
Kamo Akira sat stiffly in the chair, his limbs unable to move freely.
"If Kamo-san wanted to spar in spiritual-cleansing techniques, you could have just said so directly. Shrine Maiden Asano and I will be staying in Hawaii until next week, and we have plenty of time to exchange pointers."

Qiao Qiao added.
"No, no need. I feel that my spiritual-cleansing techniques still have many immature aspects, so I shouldn't embarrass myself by coming out."
Kamo Akira squeezed out a smile.
"What a pity."
Qiao Qiao seemed genuinely regretful that they couldn't properly spar in spiritual-cleansing techniques.
"Speaking of which, is Kamo-san responsible for the spiritual-cleansing work in the Hawaiian region?"
Looking out the window at the stunning view overlooking the beach, Qiao Qiao asked.
"Not really, well..."
Kamo Akira gave a bitter smile.
"This isn't Wa, after all. There is no Exorcist Association here, and most anomalous events are handled by the local churches."
Hearing Kamo Akira's words, Asano Arisu glanced at him.
This sounded rather different from what he had said earlier?
She had originally thought the Kamo family was responsible for the spiritual-cleansing work of the entire region.
Now it seemed he was just an independent operator as well.
Asano Arisu thought to herself.
"Fortunately, there are many people from Wa in Hawaii. Those among them who don't believe in the church occasionally come to me."
Kamo Akira explained.
"Recently in Hawaii, there shouldn't have been any particularly unusual anomalies appearing, right?"
Qiao Qiao recalled what the sea turtle had told him earlier.
"Not really. Why, did the two of you come here for an exorcism?"
Kamo Akira was completely puzzled.
"No, we're just here purely on vacation."
Asano Arisu answered with a smile, stepping close to Qiao Qiao's side.
"The two of us together."
She added special emphasis to the last part.
"Is... is that so?"
He hadn't expected this Qiao fellow to have such hobbies.
Kamo Akira wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. It was a good thing he hadn't made any overstepping moves just now; otherwise, judging by Qiao Qiao's level of spiritual prowess, he would probably have died several times over.
"......However, although no abnormal events have occurred recently, last year—well, probably around July of last year—Hawaii experienced a rare hurricane. It should have been the effect of a tropical cyclone. At that time, it seemed someone saw a huge figure appear in the clouds."
Kamo Akira said, as if recalling something.
"However, at the time, neither photographic evidence nor any further eyewitnesses were left behind. Since the Hawaiian church didn't investigate deeply, our Kamo family certainly wouldn't poke around either."
You won't die if you don't seek death; Kamo Akira understood this truth even more deeply now.
"But, well, the reason I found it strange was because ever since then, anomalous events in Hawaii have suddenly become a lot fewer."